Conclusion

In this article, we present various characteristics of the phenomenon of potential-induced degradation (PID), for different technologies and at different scales, in particular for crystalline silicon cells, as well as different characterization methods. By studying the reversibility of a cell or module affected by PID, we observe that recovery is never complete in terms of power or shunt resistance. PID-sensitive modules or cells that have undergone recovery show low recovery of shunt resistance and more consistent recovery of power, but seem more often subject to several adverse effects on the modules, such as hot spots and the appearance of defective diodes.

Power plants affected by the PID effect will continue to be impacted. Appropriate recovery, depending on the configuration, is required, even if recovery remains incomplete.

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