Partial Photoluminescence Imaging for Inspection of Photovoltaic Cells: Artificial LED Excitation and Sunlight Excitation

Photovoltaic power is a crucial renewable energy source that has the potential to enhance a city’s sustainability. However, in order to identify the various issues that may occur during the lifespan of a photovoltaic module, solar module inspection techniques are crucial. One valuable technique that is commonly used is luminescence, which captures silicon emissions. This article focuses on a specific luminescence technique called partial photoluminescence. This technique involves illuminating a specific portion of the solar cell surface and recording the luminescence emission generated in the remaining area. This method has been trialed in a laboratory environment, utilizing infrared LEDs as the excitation source. An analysis of the main parameters that affect the technique is provided, where pictures have been taken under varying exposure times ranging from 50 ms to 400 ms, irradiance levels ranging from 200 W/m2 to 1000 W/m2, and a percentage of illuminated cells ranging from 10% to 40%. Furthermore, the experimental device has been modified to generate images utilizing sunlight as the excitation source. Several pictures of damaged cells were taken under an irradiance range of 340 W/m2 to 470 W/m2. The quality of the partial photoluminescence images is comparable to conventional electroluminescence images, but longer exposure times are required.