Influence of moisture on the operation of a mono-crystalline based silicon photovoltaic cell: A numerical study using SCAPS 1 D

TL;DR

This numerical study investigates how moisture and related impurities degrade the performance of monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, revealing significant drops in efficiency and electrical parameters in wet environments.

Contribution

The paper models the impact of moisture-induced defects and impurities on PV performance using SCAPS 1 D, providing detailed insights into degradation mechanisms in wet conditions.

Findings

PCE drops from 18.57% to 11.46% with moisture and PVB encapsulant.

Power and current parameters decrease by over 50% due to moisture effects.

Degradation is exacerbated by acid production and dust contamination.

Abstract

Moisture in the form of humidity has a significant impact on the operation of photovoltaic (PV) cells and panels. Moisture is often diffuse through the encapsulant film (Ethylene Vynil Acetate (EVA), PVB, PVF, PMMA) or the breathable back-sheet. Moisture is known to accelerate the degradation and reduce the performance of a PV while operating in a wet environment. SCAPS 1 D is widely used to simulate and estimate the operation of PV. In this work, we showed the effect of moisture on the operation and performance of a PV, made from monocrystalline silicon. Namely, the influence of defects and impurities generated by moisture was investigated. We studied the simultaneous effects of Silanlols (Si-OH), Hydrogen ions H$^+$, and the metallic ions generated from the corrosion of contacts, encapsulant and transparent conducting oxide (TCO) when there is production of acid (Al$^{3+}$; Zn$^{2+}$), or from dust (Fe$^{3+}$). The numerical simulation showed that : starting with PV cells without moisture, the Fill Factor (FF) and the Power Conversion Efficiency (PCE) drop respectively from 82.80 $\%$ to 81.78 $\%$ and 18.57 $\%$ to 11.46 $\%$ , when there is moisture in the cell and PVB used as encapsulant. Further degradation of parameters was observed, when the moisture leads to the production of acetic acid on the EVA, or when there is dust having iron (Fe). FF and PCE were further dropped to 79.20 $\%$ and 7.04 $\%$ respectively, using the same initial photovoltaic cells. Furthermore, a net decrease in key electrical parameters of the PV was observed throughout the study, with maximal power ( P$_{max}$), the short circuit current ( J$_{SC}$), the current density at maximum power J$_{MP}$ reducing by more than 50\%. This study paves the way for the improvement of performance, and the understanding of degradation process in panels used in wet environments and tropical area.