Analysis of the degradation of amorphous silicon mini-modules under a severe sequential UV/DH test

This study presents the results of severe accelerated tests carried out on four encapsulated amorphous silicon (a-Si) mini-modules. All the a-Si mini-modules were exposed to a 85 °C and 85% relative humidity damp heat (DH) prolonged treatment for 5000 h representing five times the duration specified by the IEC 61215 standard for qualification tests. For two of the four mini-modules, the DH test was preceded by a severe UV preconditioning, by applying 30 times the dose of 15 kWh/m2 at a temperature of 50 °C as prescribed by the IEC 61215 standard, in order to enhance the degradation during the following DH test and to reduce the overall testing time. I–V curves were plotted with a time step of 100 h under standard test conditions (STC) using a class A solar simulator and a source meter in order to monitor the degradation throughout both the tests. A visual inspection with photographic capturing was also performed at each stage to detect the apparent defects. Corrosion observed after 2000 h owing to the ingress of humidity is explained here by two possible infiltration paths in the layers of the mini-modules. Delamination occurred after 5000 h for the PV mini-modules which underwent the extended DH test. After 5000 h of damp heat testing, the degradation of the maximal power (Pmax) was found to be slightly accelerated for the a-Si mini-modules that were previously exposed to a severe UV preconditioning, with a value reaching 80% of its initial value, whereas, for the others only subjected to the prolonged DH test, the maximal power remained above 80% of its initial value. In all cases, the mini-modules seemed highly reliable with no failure after 5000 h of accelerated testing, and, based on an equivalent time of 20 years for 1000 h of accelerated test, they would exhibit a limited degradation rate of 0.2%/year in outdoor field conditions.