CPV Cell Characterization Following One-Year Exposure in Golden, Colorado

A CPV module containing 30 III-V multijunction cells was operated on-sun for one year in Golden, Colorado. Each cell was characterized prior to and following exposure. A module power degradation of 10% was observed and found to be a result as an overall decrease in cell short circuit current and the presence of at least one shunted cell. A positive correlation between initial shunt current and an increase in shunt current following exposure was also found. Cell exfoliation was also observed and found to be coincident with the presence of water and/or charring of the cell package due to an off-sun event.

[1]  K. Araki,et al.  Development of a new 550/spl times/ concentrator module with 3J cells - performance and reliability , 2005, Conference Record of the Thirty-first IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 2005..

[2]  Carlos Algora,et al.  Real‐time reliability test for a CPV module based on a power degradation model , 2011 .

[3]  Carlos Algora.  Reliability of III-V concentrator solar cells , 2010, Microelectron. Reliab..

[4]  N. Bosco,et al.  An Infant Mortality Study of III–V Multijunction Concentrator Cells , 2012, IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics.