Water ingress mapping in photovoltaic module packaging materials

We demonstrate an imaging technique for mapping water ingress in photovoltaic module packaging materials that discriminates high versus low water content regions based on the differential absorption of infrared light corresponding to the water absorption band. The underlying principle of increased absorbance upon water ingress is demonstrated using transmission spectroscopy in encapsulant laminates and an imaging approach is shown to identify moisture ingress in laminate samples.