Accelerated TC Test in Comparison with Standard TC Test for PV Modules with Ribbon, Wire and Shingle Interconnection

Temperature changes in the field (day-night changes and seasons) can affect the performance of photovoltaic modules. Standard IEC 61215 temperature cycling (TC) tests emulate this ageing typically requiring 30 to 50 days for 200 thermal cycles (degradation < 5 % is the IEC pass criterion). A faster assessment of PV modules is desirable to rapidly evaluate new interconnection technologies and module concepts. We present an accelerated TC (aTC) test that ensures the IEC required temperatures of −40 °C and +85 °C to be reached within a PV module with 200 thermal cycles performed in around 9 days, which is up to 6 times faster than standard TC. We compare results of aTC and standard IEC TC for PV modules with different interconnection technologies (five busbars, wire interconnection, and shingle interconnection by electrically conductive adhesives). IV measurements show that the degradation of the PV modules treated with aTC is quantitatively similar to that of the PV modules treated with standard IEC TC. EL images do not show differences for both tests (IEC TC and aTC). We propose that our aTC test can be used in development and for material evaluation to accelerate development times.