UV-Induced Degradation of High-Efficiency Solar Cells with Different Architectures

The ultraviolet-induced degradation (UVID) of solar panels is associated with the deterioration of cell performance and reduced reliability of packaging materials. Here we examine the UV stability of different architectures of high-efficiency solar cells without any encapsulation. Identical UV exposure tests were performed at two different labs using UVA-340 fluorescent lamps under different electrical bias configurations (open- or short-circuit) and irradiated cell surfaces (for bifacial technologies). Cell technologies, including heterojunction (HJ), interdigitated back-contact cells (IBC), passivated emitter rear contact (PERC), passivated emitter rear totally-diffused (PERT), are found to be more susceptible to UVID, leading to significant Isc loss (up to 4%) and P
_max
loss (up to 15%) as compared to the conventional back surface field (Al-BSF) cells after exposure to UV irradiation of 8.92 MJ-m
^-2
-nm
^-1
at 340 nm. Additionally, the bifacial cells when irradiated from the backside exhibited greater photocurrent loss compared to the front side exposure, indicating potential sensitivity of rear surface passivation to UV radiation.