Global warming is accelerating due to the use of fossil fuels that have been used continuously for centuries. Now, humankind recognizes its seriousness, and is conducting research on searching for eco-friendly and sustainable energy. In the field of solar energy, which is a kind of eco-friendly and sustainable, many studies are being conducted to enhance the output performance of the module. In this study, the output improvement for the shingled module structure was studied. In order to improve the output performance of the module, the thickness of the encapsulant was increased, and the lamination process conditions have been improved accordingly. After that, the crosslinking rate was analyzed, and the suitability of the lamination process conditions was judged using this. In addition, a peeling test was conducted to analyze the correlation between the adhesion of the encapsulant and the output performance of the module. Finally, the optimization for the encapsulant material and the lamination process conditions for high-power shingled modules was established, and accordingly, the market share of high-power shingled modules in the solar module market can be expected to rise.

A shingled PV module is manufactured by dividing and bonding. In this method, the solar cell is divided by lasers and bonded using electrically conductive adhesives (ECAs). Consequently, the manufacturing cost increases because a process step is added. Therefore, we aim to reduce the production cost by reducing the amount of Ag paste used in the solar cell front. Various electrode structures were designed and simulated. The number of fingers was optimized by designing thinner fingers, and the number of fingers with the maximum power conversion efficiency was confirmed. The simulation confirmed the maximum efficiency in the 4-divided electrode pattern. The amount of Ag paste used for each electrode pattern was calculated and analyzed. The number of fingers was optimized by decreasing the width of the finger; this will not only reduce the amount of Ag paste required but also the increase the efficiency.

Using both EVA and POE encapsulants, we fabricated polycrystalline Si PV modules and performed a set of reliability tests of PID, DH, TC, and Complex prior to outdoor installation. The power output with temperatures and insolation as well as I-V characteristics had been monitored under outdoor environments for 18 months. In the entire period, the total power of 3,576 kWh from POE PV modules was observed larger than 3,449 kWh from EVA PV modules by 3.5%. All the PV modules showed a 5.6~9.2% drop in the conversion efficiency. As for the solar power generation, the PV modules performed through PID, TC test revealed distinct difference in between EVA and POE for which the POE PV module produced more power by +11.4% and +6.6%, respectively, as measured in the 18^th month. In addition, POE was proved to protect better the solar cells under PID influence.

It is summarized that potential causes of performance degradations and failure mechanisms ofcrystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) modules installed in Middle East area. In addition, we also reviewedcurrent PV module qualification test (IEC 61215) and the methods for detection of wear-out fault. Thefailure of PV modules in the extreme environmental conditions such as deserts is mainly due to hightemperature, humidity, and dust storms. In particular, cementation phenomenon caused by combination ofsand and moisture leads to rapid degradation in the performance of PV modules. In order to evaluate andguarantee the long term reliability of PV modules, specific qualification tests such as sand dust test, saltmist test and potential induce degradation test considering operating environment of PV module should becarried out.

In this paper, PV modules using a low-temperature conductive film(LT-CF) as a bonding material between a cell and a solder free ribbon were produced and chracterized, which is more environmental-friendly, cost effective and high efficient. Mainly, filed electrical performance of PV modules using three different types of bonding material; a convetional solder ribbon(SR), a LT-CF and a light-capturing Ribbon(LCR) were compared to comfirm the feasibility of LT-CF as a bonding material. The filed test were conducted for 3 months and results were discussed in terms of amount of output energy production and efficiency.

PID (potential induced degradation) of PV module is the degradation of module due to the high potential difference between the front surface of solar cells and ground when PV modules operate under high humidity and temperature conditions. PID is generally derived from the positive sodium ions in front glass that are accumulated on P-type solar cells. Therefore, some papers for the electrical characteristic of only front components as glass, EVA sheet, solar cell under PID generation condition were revealed. In this paper, we analyzed the different outputs of module with PID by considering the all parts of module including the back side elements such as glass, back sheet. Mini modules with one solar cell were fabricated with the various parts on front and back sided of module. To generate PID of module in a short time, the all modules were applied?1,000 V in 85℃, 85% RH. The outputs, dark IV curves and EL images of all modules before and after experiments were also measured to confirm the main components of module for PID generation. From the measured results, the outputs of all modules with front glass were remarkably reduced and the performances of modules with back and front glass were greatly deteriorated. We suggest that the obtained data could be used to reduce the PID phenomenon of diverse modules such as conventional module and BIPV (building integrated photovoltaic) module.