Stabilization and performance characteristics of commercialamorphous-silicon PV modules

摘要

The successful commercialization of any new photovoltaictechnology is difficult. Understanding the product's performance andaging characteristics is a prerequisite for the manufacturer.Amorphous-silicon thin-film modules are now in commercial production,and their market penetration is being limited to some degree by a lackof understanding of environmental influences that impact system designand operation. This paper summarizes our detailed performancecharacterization of multiple modules from four different manufacturersover several years of continuous outdoor exposure in Albuquerque, NM.Common stabilization characteristics have been observed for both tandemand triple-junction modules, and the influences of solar spectrum andseasonal (thermal) annealing have been clearly identified. Implicationsfor system performance modelling are presented