Degradation of PERC and Al-BSF Cells with UV Cutoff and White Variations of EVA and POE Encapsulant

To assess the reliability of PERC cells compared to Al-BSF in a commercial setting minimodules with cell and encapsulant combinations are compared in accelerated exposure. In both modified damp heat and modified damp heat with full spectrum light exposures, white EVA samples showed a higher susceptibility for metallization corrosion degradation than all other encapsulants. Al-BSF cells in particular showed higher power loss than PERC cells with white EVA. It was observed that the degree of degradation had a strong significance on the manufacturer of the white EVA encapsulant. In both exposures the encapsulant was a much stronger predictor of degradation than cell type. For modules with the same encapsulant, PERC cells showed the higher performance or were comparable to Al-BSF cells for all but one case.

Automated summary

The reliability of PERC cells compared to Al-BSF cells in a commercial setting was evaluated through accelerated exposure tests. The study found that under specific conditions, Al-BSF cells with white EVA encapsulant were more susceptible to metallization corrosion degradation than PERC cells, with the manufacturer of the encapsulant playing a significant role in the degradation level.