IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v159y2022ics1364032122000880.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Review of degradation and failure phenomena in photovoltaic modules

Author

Listed:
  • Aghaei, M.
  • Fairbrother, A.
  • Gok, A.
  • Ahmad, S.
  • Kazim, S.
  • Lobato, K.
  • Oreski, G.
  • Reinders, A.
  • Schmitz, J.
  • Theelen, M.
  • Yilmaz, P.
  • Kettle, J.

Abstract

The degradation of photovoltaic (PV) systems is one of the key factors to address in order to reduce the cost of the electricity produced by increasing the operational lifetime of PV systems. To reduce the degradation, it is imperative to know the degradation and failure phenomena. This review article has been prepared to present an overview of the state-of-the-art knowledge on the reliability of PV modules. Whilst the most common technology today is mono- and multi-crystalline silicon, this article aims to give a generic summary which is relevant for a wider range of photovoltaic technologies including cadmium telluride, copper indium gallium selenide and emerging low-cost high-efficiency technologies. The review consists of three parts: firstly, a brief contextual summary about reliability metrics and how reliability is measured. Secondly, a summary of the main stress factors and how they influence module degradation. Finally, a detailed review of degradation and failure modes, which has been partitioned by the individual component within a PV module. This section connects the degradation phenomena and failure modes to the module component, and its effects on the PV system. Building on this knowledge, strategies to improve the operational lifetime of PV systems and thus, to reduce the electricity cost can be devised. Through extensive testing and failure analysis, researchers now have a much better overview of stressors and their impact on long term stability.

Suggested Citation

  • Aghaei, M. & Fairbrother, A. & Gok, A. & Ahmad, S. & Kazim, S. & Lobato, K. & Oreski, G. & Reinders, A. & Schmitz, J. & Theelen, M. & Yilmaz, P. & Kettle, J., 2022. "Review of degradation and failure phenomena in photovoltaic modules," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:159:y:2022:i:c:s1364032122000880
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2022.112160
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032122000880
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2022.112160?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sarah Kurtz, 2018. "Advance solar technology by marrying quality assurance with design engineering," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 3(12), pages 1016-1018, December.
    2. Costa, Suellen C.S. & Diniz, Antonia Sonia A.C. & Kazmerski, Lawrence L., 2016. "Dust and soiling issues and impacts relating to solar energy systems: Literature review update for 2012–2015," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 33-61.
    3. Phinikarides, Alexander & Kindyni, Nitsa & Makrides, George & Georghiou, George E., 2014. "Review of photovoltaic degradation rate methodologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 143-152.
    4. Halwachs, M. & Neumaier, L. & Vollert, N. & Maul, L. & Dimitriadis, S. & Voronko, Y. & Eder, G.C. & Omazic, A. & Mühleisen, W. & Hirschl, Ch. & Schwark, M. & Berger, K.A. & Ebner, R., 2019. "Statistical evaluation of PV system performance and failure data among different climate zones," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 1040-1060.
    5. Alhmoud, Lina & Wang, Bingsen, 2018. "A review of the state-of-the-art in wind-energy reliability analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 1643-1651.
    6. Davis, Kristopher O. & Rodgers, Marianne P. & Scardera, Giuseppe & Brooker, R. Paul & Seigneur, Hubert & Mohajeri, Nahid & Dhere, Neelkanth G. & Wohlgemuth, John & Schneller, Eric & Shiradkar, Narendr, 2016. "Manufacturing metrology for c-Si module reliability and durability Part II: Cell manufacturing," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 225-252.
    7. Pramod Rajput & Maria Malvoni & Nallapaneni Manoj Kumar & O. S. Sastry & Arunkumar Jayakumar, 2020. "Operational Performance and Degradation Influenced Life Cycle Environmental–Economic Metrics of mc-Si, a-Si and HIT Photovoltaic Arrays in Hot Semi-arid Climates," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-20, February.
    8. Ikkurti, Hanumath Prasad & Saha, Suman, 2015. "A comprehensive techno-economic review of microinverters for Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV)," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 997-1006.
    9. Phinikarides, Alexander & Makrides, George & Zinsser, Bastian & Schubert, Markus & Georghiou, George E., 2015. "Analysis of photovoltaic system performance time series: Seasonality and performance loss," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 51-63.
    10. Ludin, Norasikin Ahmad & Mustafa, Nur Ifthitah & Hanafiah, Marlia M. & Ibrahim, Mohd Adib & Asri Mat Teridi, Mohd & Sepeai, Suhaila & Zaharim, Azami & Sopian, Kamaruzzaman, 2018. "Prospects of life cycle assessment of renewable energy from solar photovoltaic technologies: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 11-28.
    11. Schneller, Eric J. & Brooker, R. Paul & Shiradkar, Narendra S. & Rodgers, Marianne P. & Dhere, Neelkanth G. & Davis, Kristopher O. & Seigneur, Hubert P. & Mohajeri, Nahid & Wohlgemuth, John & Scardera, 2016. "Manufacturing metrology for c-Si module reliability and durability Part III: Module manufacturing," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 992-1016.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ateekh Ur Rehman, 2023. "Solar Panel Cooling System Evaluation: Visual PROMETHEE Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-25, August.
    2. Mik, Krzysztof & Zawadzki, Paweł & Tarłowski, Jan & Bykuć, Sebastian, 2022. "Assessment of prototype lightweight photovoltaic modules after over 1-year field test in Polish conditions," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 1008-1020.
    3. Ateş, Ali Murat, 2022. "Unlocking the floating photovoltaic potential of Türkiye's hydroelectric power plants," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 1495-1509.
    4. Tuhibur Rahman & Ahmed Al Mansur & Molla Shahadat Hossain Lipu & Md. Siddikur Rahman & Ratil H. Ashique & Mohamad Abou Houran & Rajvikram Madurai Elavarasan & Eklas Hossain, 2023. "Investigation of Degradation of Solar Photovoltaics: A Review of Aging Factors, Impacts, and Future Directions toward Sustainable Energy Management," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-30, April.
    5. Masoud Emamian & Aref Eskandari & Mohammadreza Aghaei & Amir Nedaei & Amirmohammad Moradi Sizkouhi & Jafar Milimonfared, 2022. "Cloud Computing and IoT Based Intelligent Monitoring System for Photovoltaic Plants Using Machine Learning Techniques," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-25, April.
    6. Putri Nor Liyana Mohamad Radzi & Muhammad Naveed Akhter & Saad Mekhilef & Noraisyah Mohamed Shah, 2023. "Review on the Application of Photovoltaic Forecasting Using Machine Learning for Very Short- to Long-Term Forecasting," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-21, February.
    7. Mojgan Hojabri & Samuel Kellerhals & Govinda Upadhyay & Benjamin Bowler, 2022. "IoT-Based PV Array Fault Detection and Classification Using Embedded Supervised Learning Methods," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-18, March.
    8. Singh, Rashmi & Sharma, Madhu & Yadav, Kamlesh, 2022. "Degradation and reliability analysis of photovoltaic modules after operating for 12 years: A case study with comparisons," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 1170-1186.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Fabian Schoden & Anna Katharina Schnatmann & Tomasz Blachowicz & Hildegard Manz-Schumacher & Eva Schwenzfeier-Hellkamp, 2022. "Circular Design Principles Applied on Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-32, November.
    2. Kumar, Manish & Kumar, Arun, 2017. "Performance assessment and degradation analysis of solar photovoltaic technologies: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 554-587.
    3. Ameur, Arechkik & Berrada, Asmae & Bouaichi, Abdellatif & Loudiyi, Khalid, 2022. "Long-term performance and degradation analysis of different PV modules under temperate climate," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 37-51.
    4. Oliveira, Michele Cândida Carvalho de & Diniz Cardoso, Antônia Sonia Alves & Viana, Marcelo Machado & Lins, Vanessa de Freitas Cunha, 2018. "The causes and effects of degradation of encapsulant ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) in crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 2299-2317.
    5. Alexander Frick & George Makrides & Markus Schubert & Matthias Schlecht & George E. Georghiou, 2020. "Degradation Rate Location Dependency of Photovoltaic Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-20, December.
    6. Ozden, Talat & Akinoglu, Bulent G. & Turan, Rasit, 2017. "Long term outdoor performances of three different on-grid PV arrays in central Anatolia – An extended analysis," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 182-195.
    7. Dehghani, Ehsan & Jabalameli, Mohammad Saeed & Jabbarzadeh, Armin, 2018. "Robust design and optimization of solar photovoltaic supply chain in an uncertain environment," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 139-156.
    8. Jingsheng Huang & Yaojie Sun & He Wang & Junjun Zhang, 2019. "Regular and Irregular Performance Variation of Module String and Occurred Conditions for Potential Induced Degradation-Affected Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Power Plants," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-13, November.
    9. Gallardo-Saavedra, Sara & Hernández-Callejo, Luis & Alonso-García, María del Carmen & Santos, José Domingo & Morales-Aragonés, José Ignacio & Alonso-Gómez, Víctor & Moretón-Fernández, Ángel & González, 2020. "Nondestructive characterization of solar PV cells defects by means of electroluminescence, infrared thermography, I–V curves and visual tests: Experimental study and comparison," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    10. Silvestre, Santiago & Tahri, Ali & Tahri, Fatima & Benlebna, Soumiya & Chouder, Aissa, 2018. "Evaluation of the performance and degradation of crystalline silicon-based photovoltaic modules in the Saharan environment," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 57-63.
    11. Atsu, Divine & Seres, Istvan & Aghaei, Mohammadreza & Farkas, Istvan, 2020. "Analysis of long-term performance and reliability of PV modules under tropical climatic conditions in sub-Saharan," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 285-295.
    12. Hossain, Md. Faruque, 2017. "Green science: Independent building technology to mitigate energy, environment, and climate change," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 695-705.
    13. Costa, Suellen C.S. & Diniz, Antonia Sonia A.C. & Kazmerski, Lawrence L., 2018. "Solar energy dust and soiling R&D progress: Literature review update for 2016," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 2504-2536.
    14. Griffiths, Steven, 2017. "A review and assessment of energy policy in the Middle East and North Africa region," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 249-269.
    15. Ilse, Klemens K. & Figgis, Benjamin W. & Naumann, Volker & Hagendorf, Christian & Bagdahn, Jörg, 2018. "Fundamentals of soiling processes on photovoltaic modules," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 239-254.
    16. Norasikin Ahmad Ludin & Nurfarhana Alyssa Ahmad Affandi & Kathleen Purvis-Roberts & Azah Ahmad & Mohd Adib Ibrahim & Kamaruzzaman Sopian & Sufian Jusoh, 2021. "Environmental Impact and Levelised Cost of Energy Analysis of Solar Photovoltaic Systems in Selected Asia Pacific Region: A Cradle-to-Grave Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-21, January.
    17. Kahoul, Nabil & Chenni, Rachid & Cheghib, Hocine & Mekhilef, Saad, 2017. "Evaluating the reliability of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules in harsh environment," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 66-72.
    18. Piotr Olczak & Małgorzata Olek & Dominika Matuszewska & Artur Dyczko & Tomasz Mania, 2021. "Monofacial and Bifacial Micro PV Installation as Element of Energy Transition—The Case of Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-22, January.
    19. Romero-Fiances, Irene & Livera, Andreas & Theristis, Marios & Makrides, George & Stein, Joshua S. & Nofuentes, Gustavo & de la Casa, Juan & Georghiou, George E., 2022. "Impact of duration and missing data on the long-term photovoltaic degradation rate estimation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 738-748.
    20. Singh, Rashmi & Sharma, Madhu & Rawat, Rahul & Banerjee, Chandan, 2020. "Field Analysis of three different silicon-based Technologies in Composite Climate Condition – Part II – Seasonal assessment and performance degradation rates using statistical tools," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 147(P1), pages 2102-2117.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:159:y:2022:i:c:s1364032122000880. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.