Electrical bias as an alternate method for reproducible measurement of copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) photovoltaic modules

Chris Deline; Adam Stokes; Timothy J. Silverman; Steve Rummel; Dirk Jordan; Sarah Kurtz

doi:10.1117/12.929899

16 October 2012 Electrical bias as an alternate method for reproducible measurement of copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) photovoltaic modules

Chris Deline, Adam Stokes, Timothy J. Silverman, Steve Rummel, Dirk Jordan, Sarah Kurtz

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8472, Reliability of Photovoltaic Cells, Modules, Components, and Systems V; 84720G (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.929899
Event: SPIE Solar Energy + Technology, 2012, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Light-to-dark metastable changes in thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules can introduce uncertainty when measuring module performance on indoor flash testing equipment. This study describes a method to stabilize module performance through forward-bias current injection rather than light exposure. Measurements of five pairs of thin-film copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) PV modules indicate that forward-bias exposure maintained the PV modules at a stable condition (within 1%) while the unbiased modules degraded in performance by up to 12%. It was also found that modules exposed to forward bias exhibited stable performance within about 3% of their long-term outdoor exposed performance. This carrier-injection method provides a way to reduce uncertainty arising from fast transients in thin-film module performance between the time a module is removed from light exposure and when it is measured indoors, effectively simulating continuous light exposure by injecting minority carriers that behave much as photocarriers do. This investigation also provides insight into the initial light-induced transients of thin-film modules upon outdoor deployment.

Citation Download Citation

Chris Deline, Adam Stokes, Timothy J. Silverman, Steve Rummel, Dirk Jordan, and Sarah Kurtz "Electrical bias as an alternate method for reproducible measurement of copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) photovoltaic modules", Proc. SPIE 8472, Reliability of Photovoltaic Cells, Modules, Components, and Systems V, 84720G (16 October 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.929899

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available