Technical Head of Power Electronics and Field Testing PVEL LLC Napa, California, United States
When solar projects experience underperformance, deploying the correct field service solution is critical to addressing issues and getting sites back online as quickly as possible. Electroluminescence (EL) imaging can reveal the full extent of damage to PV modules – even when the damage cannot be seen by the eye and may not immediately reduce energy yield. However, the defects will result in major power losses and safety issues over time. In recent field inspections, PVEL has validated a simple degradation indicator derived from the EL image (the within-cell intensity variability), finding an approximately linear correlation between the degradation indicator and power loss due to metallization corrosion. In doing so, PVEL established consistent patterns between EL images and poorly performing modules, helping the project owner to better assess module health without performing widespread single-module IV tracing. As field imaging solutions evolve, downstream solar stakeholders, such as developers, asset owners, and O&M providers, need to be aware of the latest technologies available for quickly assessing module damage, including field EL sampling methods and novel drone EL solutions, which can allow for comprehensive system reviews. In this poster, we’ll address critical concerns around assessing module health and how to quickly and effectively resolve questions around system performance.
