Optical Filter Design for Daylight Outdoor Electroluminescence Imaging of PV Modules

This paper presents an advanced outdoor electroluminescence (EL) imaging system for inspecting solar photovoltaic (PV) modules under varying daylight conditions. EL imaging, known for its effectiveness in non-destructively detecting PV module defects, is enhanced through specialized optical filters. These filters, including a bandpass filter targeting EL emissions and a neutral density filter to reduce background light, significantly improve the system’s signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The experimental results demonstrate the system’s enhanced performance, with superior clarity and detail in EL emissions, enabling precise defect localization and characterization at the cellular level. Notably, the system achieves an SNR improvement, with values consistently above two, outperforming previous systems and confirming its suitability for efficient solar PV maintenance and diagnostics. This research offers a flexible approach to optimizing EL imaging quality across various solar irradiance levels and angles, essential for improved PV module performance and reliability. The system effectively handles different PV module configurations, orientations, and types, including monofacial and bifacial arrays. It showcases robust imaging capabilities under high solar irradiance and different sun illumination levels, maintaining high-quality imaging due to its optimized filter design. Additionally, the system’s adaptability in detecting EL emissions from series-connected PV modules is highlighted, demonstrating its comprehensive evaluation capabilities for PV array performance.