Photo-electrical characterizations of plastic solar modules

We propose a study of electrical properties of plastic solar modules with a combination of current density-voltage curves (J-V characteristics) and a non destructive Light/Laser Beam Induced Current (LBIC) technique. We first extract global electrical information and trends of modules provided by J-V curves after a warming up time and during a short illumination time. On the other hand, LBIC profiles and mappings are recorded and show the behavior of each individual cell of the module. The results allow us to identify the evolution and global trends of the module efficiency as a function of the evolution of each cell comprising the module according to a simple simulation model. At the same time, using LBIC mappings, we check the module uniformity and show that no microscopic defects coming from the deposition process of the films are visible. Finally, we reveal a module encapsulation failure. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.