Development of macroscopic and microscopic visual inspection guidelines for crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules under indoor accelerated testing

Solar photovoltaic (PV) module reliability against defects and degradations is a key concern these days, owing to the large-scale deployment of modules around the world. For early detection of pre-mature failures, indoor accelerated testing is performed according to the different International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards. Herein, multiple characterization tools are used for detection and analysis of defects and degradation observed under such tests. Visual inspection forms the primary and standard form of defect detection after these test procedures. However, there is absence of a single fixed, ready-to use source of guideline for such inspections. Also, there is less emphasis on the microscopic inspection, and in-depth detailing of cell and module components and defects. This paper presents detailed guidelines for macroscopic and microscopic reporting of cell and module information, with component wise defect details pre- and post-testing. This list would be useful for module record keeping and will facilitate recording of information which would be useful for further reliability analysis.