An outdoor investigation of the absorption degradation of single-junction amorphous silicon photovoltaic module due to localized heat/hot spot formation

This paper investigates the absorbance degradation of single-junction amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) photovoltaic (PV) module, due to the presence of localized heat. The decrease in optical density is a huge challenge due to the long-term degradation of PV modules. The reduction in solar cell optical density causes a decline in its conversion efficiency. This decreases the photogenerating current, hence reduces the effective efficiency of the PV device. An infrared thermography was used for mapping the module temperature profile. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used for the absorption characterization. The rationale behind the outdoor deployment was to deduce a practical effect of hot spot formation on the module's absorption ability. The results show a direct correlation between localized heat and the absorption degradation.