Partial Photoluminescence Imaging for Inspection of Photovoltaic Cells: Artificial LED Excitation and Sunlight Excitation

Alberto Redondo Plaza, Victor Ndeti Ngungu, Sara Gallardo Saavedra, José Ignacio Morales Aragonés, Víctor Alonso Gómez, Lilian Johanna Obregón and Luis Hernández Callejo ()
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Alberto Redondo Plaza: Department of Agricultural Engineering and Forestry, University of Valladolid, 42004 Soria, Spain
Victor Ndeti Ngungu: Department of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
Sara Gallardo Saavedra: Department of Agricultural Engineering and Forestry, University of Valladolid, 42004 Soria, Spain
José Ignacio Morales Aragonés: Department of Applied Physics, University of Valladolid, 47002 Valladolid, Spain
Víctor Alonso Gómez: Department of Applied Physics, University of Valladolid, 47002 Valladolid, Spain
Lilian Johanna Obregón: Department of Agricultural Engineering and Forestry, University of Valladolid, 42004 Soria, Spain
Luis Hernández Callejo: Department of Agricultural Engineering and Forestry, University of Valladolid, 42004 Soria, Spain

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 11, 1-12

Abstract: Photovoltaic power is a crucial renewable energy source that has the potential to enhance a city’s sustainability. However, in order to identify the various issues that may occur during the lifespan of a photovoltaic module, solar module inspection techniques are crucial. One valuable technique that is commonly used is luminescence, which captures silicon emissions. This article focuses on a specific luminescence technique called partial photoluminescence. This technique involves illuminating a specific portion of the solar cell surface and recording the luminescence emission generated in the remaining area. This method has been trialed in a laboratory environment, utilizing infrared LEDs as the excitation source. An analysis of the main parameters that affect the technique is provided, where pictures have been taken under varying exposure times ranging from 50 ms to 400 ms, irradiance levels ranging from 200 W/m 2 to 1000 W/m 2 , and a percentage of illuminated cells ranging from 10% to 40%. Furthermore, the experimental device has been modified to generate images utilizing sunlight as the excitation source. Several pictures of damaged cells were taken under an irradiance range of 340 W/m 2 to 470 W/m 2 . The quality of the partial photoluminescence images is comparable to conventional electroluminescence images, but longer exposure times are required.

Keywords: renewable energy; solar energy; photovoltaic; inspection techniques; electroluminescence; photoluminescence (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: 2023
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