This document is designed to be used as a guide to visually inspect front-contact poly-crystalline and mono-crystalline silicon solar photovoltaic (PV) modules for major defects (less common types of PV modules such as back-contact silicon cells or thin film technologies are not covered herein). The modules under consideration may be of any size or rated power, however some specific use-cases for solar modules may have different requirements and therefore adaption of this document is application and institution dependent (ex. labelling may not be present for a solar module sold as part of a small off-grid lighting kit). This document is meant to supplement and support rather than replace international testing standards (for example IEC 61215 or UL 1703 [1], [2]). A lack of visually observable defects is necessary but not sufficient to determine if a module would pass IEC 61215 testing.<\/p>\n
Several applications could be envisioned for this document, including use by:<\/p>\n
border agents to inspect product shipments at ports of entry to a country. Standardized rejection criteria could be used as grounds for barring defective products for import in conjunction with an adopted IEC standard such as IEC 61215;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
standards agencies or regulatory authorities in search and seizure efforts. A tool that can be used onsite to determine if defective or fraudulent products are found for sale in markets;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
retailers\/distributors to ensure they are receiving acceptable quality products from manufacturers;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
installers\/technicians when selecting product from retailers or distributors for customers;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
educators as a teaching tool for students of solar energy, for example when training technicians;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
inspectors of already installed solar products to catalogue defects and attempt to trouble-shoot failures.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
However, as this guide deals primarily with new modules, alternative tools are recommended for this task (see for example [3]).<\/p>\n
| PDF Pages<\/th>\n | PDF Title<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2<\/td>\n | undefined <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 4<\/td>\n | CONTENTS <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 6<\/td>\n | FOREWORD <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 8<\/td>\n | INTRODUCTION <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 9<\/td>\n | 1 Scope 2 Normative references <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 10<\/td>\n | 3 Terms, definitions, symbols and abbreviated terms 3.1 Clarification of terminology 3.2 Clarification of severity rating <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 11<\/td>\n | 4 Recommendations 4.1 General 4.2 Inspection procedure <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 12<\/td>\n | 4.3 Accept \/ reject criteria <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 13<\/td>\n | Annex A (normative) Checklists <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 15<\/td>\n | Annex B (normative) Catalogue of defects: new modules B.1 Label B.1.1 Missing B.1.2 Poorly attached <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 16<\/td>\n | B.1.3 Information is missing B.1.4 Incorrect spelling <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 17<\/td>\n | B.2 Backsheet B.2.1 Delamination <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 18<\/td>\n | B.3 Junction box B.3.1 Faulty electrical connection B.3.2 Cracks\/breaks\/gaps in housing <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 19<\/td>\n | B.3.3 Sealant failure B.3.4 Electrical polarity not indicated <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 20<\/td>\n | B.4 Wiring B.4.1 Wire(s) missing or insecurely attached B.4.2 Too short and\/or too thin <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 21<\/td>\n | B.5 Frame B.5.1 Damaged B.5.2 Adhesive\/Sealant failure <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 22<\/td>\n | B.6 Front glass B.6.1 Cracking B.6.2 Scratches <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 23<\/td>\n | B.7 Encapsulation B.7.1 Delamination <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 24<\/td>\n | B.8 Cells B.8.1 Fake B.8.2 Dummy pieces disguising missing material <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 25<\/td>\n | B.8.3 Cracks B.8.4 Partially covered <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 26<\/td>\n | B.8.5 Scratches B.8.6 Differently sized B.8.7 Edge chips <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 27<\/td>\n | B.8.8 All cells very shiny <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 28<\/td>\n | B.9 Cell metallization B.9.1 Fingers not connected to busbar B.9.2 Not the same pattern on all cells <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 29<\/td>\n | B.9.3 Fingers off of edge of corner of cells B.10 Cell interconnection B.10.1 Interconnection is discontinuous <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 30<\/td>\n | B.10.2 Cells connected in parallel (counterfeit) B.10.3 Poorly aligned and\/or soldered B.10.4 Cells connected in parallel (real cells) <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 31<\/td>\n | Annex C (normative) Catalogue of defects: used modules C.2 Backsheet C.2.1. Burn marks C.2.2. Discolouration <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 32<\/td>\n | C.4 Wiring C.4.1 Cracks or exposed metal C.7 Encapsulation C.7.2 Discolouration <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 33<\/td>\n | C.8. Cells C.8.9 \u201cSnail trails\u201d C.8.10 Shiny locally\/significantly varying colour <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| 34<\/td>\n | Bibliography <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Recommendations for renewable energy and hybrid systems for rural electrification – Silicon solar module visual inspection guide<\/b><\/p>\n |