Luminescence imaging of solar modules in full sunlight using ultranarrow bandpass filters

Photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation is the fastest growing energy source globally and also humanity's best opportunity to achieve the urgently required deep decarbonisation of the energy sector. As PV enters the terawatt scale, with millions of modules in a single PV power plant, quality testing of installed PV modules becomes indispensable to guarantee PV as a reliable long-term source of electricity. We present a method that extends the use of photoluminescence (PL) imaging to field-deployed solar modules in full sunlight. The method takes advantage of sunlight absorption in the Earth's atmosphere in a narrow spectral range around 1,135-nm wavelength and recent developments in ultranarrow bandpass optical filter technology. The technical principles and experimental data are provided. This method lays the foundations for PL imaging, a powerful inspection method for the PV industry and research, to be applied to routine high-volume inspection of fielded PV modules on large-scale solar power plants.

Automated summary

PV electricity generation is the fastest growing energy source globally and presents an opportunity for deep decarbonisation of the energy sector. A new method using photoluminescence imaging technology allows for quality testing of field-deployed solar modules, offering a powerful inspection method for the PV industry and research.