Field degradation prediction of potential induced degradation of the crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules based on accelerated test and climatic data

We investigated the field degradation modeling of potential-induced degradation (PID) in crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules. Five accelerated tests using four-cell mini modules were conducted to derive the hourly degradation rate of the potential induced degradation. The voltage-Peck model was used for predicting the hourly degradation rate. The field degradation modeling was performed at Busan and Miami. The annual degradation rate in field based on the temperature, humidity, and solar irradiance was calculated as the sum of the hourly degradation rate for one year. The annual degradation rates in Busan and Miami were recorded as 6.93% and 11.23% under 72cells and 18 modules series-connected string configuration, respectively. The annual degradation rate induced by PID in the solar power plant in Busan showed similar result to 8.8%. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.