EPJ Photovoltaics 16, 16 (2025)
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjpv/2025004

Original Article

Polarization-type potential-induced degradation in bifacial PERC modules in the field

¹ National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, USA
² Florida Solar Energy Center − University of Central Florida, Cocoa, FL 32922, USA
³ Pordis LLC, Austin, TX 78729, USA
⁴ Photovoltaic Reliability Laboratory − Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ 85212, USA
⁵ University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA

^* e-mail: peter.hacke@nrel.gov

Received: 20 September 2024
Accepted: 14 January 2025
Published online: 24 February 2025

Abstract

This study examines the susceptibility of bifacial glass/glass passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) modules to potential-induced degradation-polarization (PID-p) in the field. While there are several studies showing PID-p occurring on both front and back faces of bifacial PERC in accelerated tests, we address the yet unclarified behavior in fielded modules. We examine the effects of mounting configuration; specifically, comparing modules mounted near ground and in elevated ground rack configurations. Modules with the cell circuit in −1500 V system voltage configuration, whether mounted on racks about 30 cm above the ground or elevated 2 m high showed mean degradation of 4.5% to 6% in power under standard test conditions over about 2.5 weeks as measured from the front side of the module. This extent of degradation remained sustained for a duration of about 6 months analyzed. Average daytime temperatures of modules in the various mounting configurations were similar and therefore judged to be insufficient to be a primary influence for the modest PID-p rate differences that we observed among mounting configurations. Increased leakage current in the morning suggests morning dew was sustained longer on modules near the ground measured over six months which would be expected to increase the PID-p rate over the long term. However, the main difference seen between the modules on the various mountings during the initial period with up to 6% mean degradation by PID-p was the approximately two times the irradiance from albedo on the rear of modules mounted in elevated ground rack compared to those on the near ground rack. This difference in incident albedo led to a modestly reduced rate of the development of PID-p of the modules on the elevated ground rack. The difference is attributed to the dissipation of PID-p-causing electrical charge by the albedo incident on the module rear. The behavior could be modeled by a sigmoidal equation with consideration of the differences in the insolation on the module rear.