We present a method which provides simple and fast evaluation of the hot spot potential of solar cells before the module assembly process. The method is based on convoluting power dissipation images measured with infrared thermography with specially designed point spread functions. The result is a temperature image of a cell under critical shading conditions of the module. For validation of the method we conduct a laboratory experiment with bare cells. Measured temperature fields of exemplary solar cells are compared to simulated images. The transfer from laboratory conditions for bare cells to outdoor module conditions is performed by using additional three-dimensional numerical simulations. It is shown that the method can in principle be used for inline application.
