PERFORMANCE AND LIFE PREDICTION MODEL FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE: EFFECT OF ENCAPSULANT CONSTITUTIVE BEHAVIOR

摘要

The present disclosure includes a method and/or a computer system for modeling the performance and lifetime of a photovoltaic module (PV). The method includes preparing a comprehensive finite element model; viscoelastic modeling of the encapsulant material of the PV; and orthotropic modeling of the silicon cells of the PV. It also includes carrying out the finite element model by including the predicted time to crack initiation due to temperature; and analyzing the temperature cycling fatigue of copper interconnects in the PV module, and analyzing the PV module under variable mechanical environmental stresses including temperature and sun exposure. Meteorological data are used for modeling the variable environmental stresses.

主权项

1. A method for modeling the performance and lifetime of a photovoltaic module (PV) comprising one or more silicon cells interconnected with copper leads and encapsulated with an encapsulant polymer, a layer of glass bonded to a top surface of the encapsulant, and a back layer bonded to a back surface of the encapsulant, comprising:
preparing a comprehensive finite element model of the PV module; viscoelastically modeling of the encapsulant polymer in the PV module; and orthotropically modeling the silicon cells of the PV module, wherein the viscoelastic modeling and the orthotropic modeling affect the performance of the PV module based on differences in the coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) of the encapsulant polymer, the silicon cells, the copper leads, the glass layer and the back layer, and corresponding thermo-mechanical stresses within the PV module.