Two 'Combined Stress test with in situ measurement' setups, which allow real-time monitoring of accelerated degradation of solar cells and modules, were designed and constructed. These setups allow the simultaneous use of humidity, temperature, electrical biases, and illumination as independently controlled stress factors. The setups and various experiments executed are presented.
Total time
~1–3 weeks per degradation study (depending on stress protocol and measurement intervals)
Steps
1
Fabricate thin film Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells
Prepare CIGS photovoltaic devices using standard thin-film deposition and processing techniques. This provides the test specimens for accelerated degradation studies.
▶ 01:03
2
Conduct combined stress testing with in situ measurement
Operate the combined stress test setup to simultaneously apply controlled humidity, temperature, electrical biases, and illumination to CIGS solar cells while monitoring performance degradation in real time.
▶ 04:06
3
Analyze temperature dependency and degradation trends
Extract and interpret in situ measurement data to determine temperature-dependent degradation rates and identify performance-loss mechanisms in CIGS devices.
▶ 07:34