Title:	Multi-Criteria Analysis Method to Evaluate Different Encapsulation Materials for PV Modules and Proposing a Suitable Candidate
Author(s):	H.E. Hayati Soloot, A. Hayati Soloot, S. Moghadam
Keywords:	Encapsulation, Reliability, Durability, EVA, PV Module
Topic:	Photovoltaic Modules and BoS Components
Subtopic:	PV Module Design, Manufacture, Performance and Reliability
Event:	38th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition
Session:	4AV.2.29
Pages:	852 - 859
ISBN:	3-936338-78-7
Paper DOI:	10.4229/EUPVSEC20212021-4AV.2.29
Price:	0,00 EUR
Document(s):	paper, poster

Abstract/Summary:

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The power loss in photovoltaic (PV) modules due to degradations in the encapsulant layers accounts for more than 10% of the power loss within the module. Choosing a suitable material for the encapsulant layer has a significant impact on the price and performance of the PV module. The performance analysis of PV modules in the near- and long-term are usually referred to as reliability and durability in the literature. While the reliability issue to a large extent and acceptable limits is covered by the different international standard tests, the main challenges are related to the durability of the PV modules in the different field installations. Durability issues couldn’t be solved without putting forward a general rule of thumb for choosing a suitable encapsulation material. Then, this paper proposes a general multi-criteria analysis method for doing that. After that, this analysis is applied to compare three conventional encapsulation materials including EVA, PVB, and TPO. Finally, this study proposes a suitable candidate with long-lasting durability and providing better performance for the PV module encapsulation based-on this multi-criteria analysis.