Featured in Winter Edition – Gold standard – 12-2023

Cracking cell defect detection

After years of improving quality standards, solar cell cracking appears to be on the rise again, perhaps due to new manufacturers entering the sector. Clean Energy Associates’ (CEA) senior engineering manager Claire Kearns-McCoy considers ways to stop the rot.

By

pv magazine

05 Dec 2023

Defects can remain undetected unless EL testing is used. | Photo: Clean Energy Associates

Data from more than 150 utility-scale solar projects in North America and Europe suggest that the incidence of cell microcracking is rising, reversing what had been an encouraging downward trend. Anecdotal evidence suggests the reversal is more common in North America than in Europe and that most defects occur during manufacturing.The 47% jump in microcracks …

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