Automatized analysis of IR-images of photovoltaic modules and its use for quality control of solar cells

Hepp J, Machui F, Egelhaaf HJ, Brabec C, Vetter A (2016)


Publication Language: English

Publication Status: Published

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2016

Journal

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Book Volume: 4

Pages Range: 363-371

Journal Issue: 6

DOI: 10.1002/ese3.140

Abstract

It is well known that the performance of solar cells may significantly suffer from local electric defects. Accordingly, infrared thermography (i.p. lock-in thermography) has been intensely applied to identify such defects as hot spots. As an imaging method, this is a fast way of module characterization. However, imaging leads to a huge amount of data, which needs to be investigated. An automatized image analysis would be a very beneficial tool but has not been suggested so far for lock-in thermography images. In this manuscript, we describe such an automatized analysis of solar cells. We first established a robust algorithm for segmentation (or recognition) for both, the PV-module and the defects (hot spots). With this information, we then calculated a parameter from the IR-images, which could be well correlated with the maximal power (Pmpp) of the modules. The proposed automatized method serves as a very useful foundation for faster and more thorough analyses of IR-images and stimulates the further development of quality control on solar modules. © 2016 The Authors. Energy Science & Engineering published by the Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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How to cite

APA:

Hepp, J., Machui, F., Egelhaaf, H.-J., Brabec, C., & Vetter, A. (2016). Automatized analysis of IR-images of photovoltaic modules and its use for quality control of solar cells. Energy Science and Engineering, 4(6), 363-371. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ese3.140

MLA:

Hepp, Johannes, et al. "Automatized analysis of IR-images of photovoltaic modules and its use for quality control of solar cells." Energy Science and Engineering 4.6 (2016): 363-371.

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