Recovery of modules affected by potential induced degradation (PID) applying a reverse potential in the laboratory without temperature control

The use of photovoltaic solar energy has gained prominence in the systems of electricity generation in several countries, mainly because it is considered a clean energy. These systems are typically installed with a predictability of efficiency between 20 and 25 years. However, some processes have made the modules suffer a faster degradation than expected. One of these problems is the Potential Induced Degradation (PID) that causes a sharp drop in production in a short time of installation. In this work we opted to apply a technique that allows the PID reversion in photovoltaic modules, using an equipment developed in a laboratory in a campus of the Instituto Federal Fluminense, as well as the use of thermography technique and I-V curve tracer to identify the PID in the modules. The results show the success in reversing the degradation by improving the energy production of the affected modules.