Anti-LID Process with a Remote Direct Heating Method Using a Half-Bridge Resonance Circuit for a PERC Solar Cell Module

Soo Min Kim, Sanghoon Jung, Yoonkap Kim and Junhee Kim
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Soo Min Kim: Convergence Materials Research Center, Innovative Technology Research Division, Gumi Electronics and Information Technology Research Institute (GERI), Gumi 39171, Korea
Sanghoon Jung: Convergence Materials Research Center, Innovative Technology Research Division, Gumi Electronics and Information Technology Research Institute (GERI), Gumi 39171, Korea
Yoonkap Kim: Convergence Materials Research Center, Innovative Technology Research Division, Gumi Electronics and Information Technology Research Institute (GERI), Gumi 39171, Korea
Junhee Kim: Convergence Materials Research Center, Innovative Technology Research Division, Gumi Electronics and Information Technology Research Institute (GERI), Gumi 39171, Korea

Energies, 2019, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: As the importance of the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) increases in the solar cell industry, the demand for high-efficiency solar cells is rapidly increasing. Typically, p-type passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) solar cells are the most commonly used in the industry, and their efficiency is approximately 22–23%. P-type solar cells are reported to exhibit a light-induced degradation (LID) phenomenon, in which their output constantly decreases during power generation under solar radiation, and the output significantly reduces as their reference efficiency increases. Ultra-high-efficiency solar cells, which are on high demand, have a considerable output reduction due to the LID phenomenon; hence, technologies to prevent the LID phenomenon are required. However, research on this phenomenon has not been conducted because there is no method to transfer heat to solar cells inside the encapsulant when the modules are produced. In this study, a regeneration state was formed by remotely heating solar cells without damaging the encapsulant of the solar cell module. This was accomplished by using a heating method based on an induction magnetic field. A half-bridge resonance circuit was used to apply the induction magnetic field, and the temperature of the solar cell was controlled by adjusting the magnitude of the current flowing through the coil. To determine whether only the solar cell was heated, the temperature distribution inside the module was analyzed using an IR camera. The minority carrier lifetime was examined by real-time observation of the open-circuit voltage pattern of the solar cell. Finally, the observed real-time open-circuit voltage data were used, and dynamic simulation of the regeneration process was applied to analyze the LID activation energy generated in the regeneration process of the solar cell module. In conclusion, research was conducted on applying the regeneration state to prevent the LID phenomenon in the solar-cell-module stage, and the LID activation energy of the solar cell module was extracted. Based on this, a nondestructive degradation prevention technology for the solar cell module was developed.

Keywords: solar cell; solar module; light-induced degradation; regeneration; remote heating; half-bridge resonance circuit (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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