Analysis of Failure and Degradation Modes of Small-Scale Photovoltaic Power Plants in Rural Communities of the Atacama Desert
Abstract
In this work, a detailed analysis of failure/degradation modes identified in 95 solar photovoltaic modules operating in the Atacama Desert, Chile is performed. The data used was collected via visual inspection, thermal imaging and electrical measurements. Additionally, in-field data is complemented with global trends identified in the sample, obtained in previous work, together with a theoretical materials analysis. As a result, seven different abnormalities were identified and described: soiling, hotspots, delamination, discoloration of front cover glass, partial shading, cell fracture and faulty soldering. The most common abnormalities were soiling and hotspots, being the highest cell temperature around 100°C. With this information, possible failure/degradation mechanisms were inferred, as well as the influence of local environment on modules components, which may be involved in degradation and failures occurrence. Key words: PV modules, failure/degradation modes and mechanisms