An in-situ method of monitoring flexible CIGS modules moisture induced degradation and lifetime prediction

Moisture induced degradation is a challenge facing flexible CIGS modules designs as the polymeric barriers usually have higher water vapor transmittance rate (WVTR) than rigid glass barriers. In the process of module design, the expected lifetime is a key point in selecting the most appropriate barriers. However, the correlation between common acceleration tests and module lifetime is still not well known. This work introduces a method of monitoring flexible CIGS module degradation in-situ by recording sheet resistance when a module is exposed to humidity and temperature. An empirical Hallberg-Peck model was employed to estimate the module lifetime.