Bypass diodes are installed in Photovoltaic (PV) modules in order to prevent the application of high reverse voltage across the shaded cells in the event of partial shading of the module. Crystalline silicon (c-Si) modules have one bypass diode per 18-20 cells while thin film modules have at most one bypass diode per module. Ideally, bypass diodes are expected to turn on as soon as a current mismatch is detected between various strings of cells inside the module, which typically occurs in the event of partial shading. However, limited information is available on the actual switching characteristics of bypass diodes in field. In this paper, effect of incremental shading of various cells on the flasher I-V curve of a commercial 60-cell c-Si module was studied. Cell combinations in various strings were shaded with operational bypass diodes in the module and effect on module performance parameters such as Voc, Isc, Pmax and Fill Factor was discussed. Consequently one bypass diode in the module was short circuited and open circuited respectively and again the effect of shading on the I-V curve was investigated. Techniques for identifying short circuited and open circuited bypass diodes from I-V curve are presented.
The paper provides latest update on the activities performed by the group #4-diodes, shading and reverse bias of the PV Module Quality Assurance Task Force (PVQAT) in the areas such as electrostatic discharge testing and standards, thermal runaway testing, diode junction temperature measurement techniques, thermal endurance tests and analysis of field failures. Philosophy, motivation and future direction for the group #4 is also discussed.
The operating conditions of bypass diodes in PV modules deployed in the field are considerably harsher than the conditions at which the diode manufacturers test the diodes. This has a potential to significantly reduce the operating life of bypass diodes and has raised concerns about the safety and reliability of PV modules as a whole. The study of modes and mechanisms of the failures encountered in bypass diodes used in PV modules can provide important information which would be useful to predict the module lifetime. This paper presents the review of the failure modes and mechanisms observed in bypass diodes and current work related to reliability testing of bypass diodes. The International PV Module Quality Assurance Task Force has recommended following four potential areas of research to understand the reliability issues of bypass diodes: Electrostatic Discharge, reverse bias thermal runaway testing, forward bias overheating and transition testing of forward bias to reverse bias. As a joint collaborative effort between Florida Solar Energy Center and Solar and Environmental Test Laboratory at Jabil Inc., laboratory testing of bypass diodes on the guidelines provided by the International PV Module Quality Assurance Task Force has been initiated. Preliminary results from this work are presented in this paper.
Conference Committee Involvement (7)
New Concepts in Solar and Thermal Radiation Conversion and Reliability
19 August 2018 | San Diego, California, United States
Reliability of Photovoltaic Cells, Modules, Components, and Systems X
6 August 2017 | San Diego, California, United States
Reliability of Photovoltaic Cells, Modules, Components, and Systems IX
28 August 2016 | San Diego, California, United States
Reliability of Photovoltaic Cells, Modules, Components, and Systems VIII
9 August 2015 | San Diego, California, United States
Reliability of Photovoltaic Cells, Modules, Components, and Systems VII
20 August 2014 | San Diego, California, United States
Reliability of Photovoltaic Cells, Modules, Components, and Systems VI
27 August 2013 | San Diego, California, United States
Reliability of Photovoltaic Cells, Modules, Components, and Systems V
14 August 2012 | San Diego, California, United States
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.