Reliability Evaluation Through Analytics and Data for Emerging Technology in Photovoltaics

Indoor PV Characterization & Reliability Facility – Swansea University

Indoor testing

  • Dedicated platform for performance, stability, and degradation testing of photovoltaic devices and modules under fully controlled environmental conditions
  • Co-located with roll-to-roll (R2R) and sheet-to-sheet (S2S) scale-up lines, enabling direct feedback between manufacturing, characterization, and reliability assessment
Solar Simulators & Light Sources
  • Multiple Class AAA solar simulators (xenon arc) for standard device and module performance evaluation
  • LED-based G2V Sunbrick systems with spectral tuning capability
    • Measurements up to 50 × 50 cm
    • Integrated MPPT tracking or open-circuit operation
    • Temperature/humidity control via dedicated environmental chambers (for small-area devices)
  • Sulphur plasma light source (Solixon)
  • Atlas Suntest system (open circuit only) — long-term exposure capability
  • Fully calibrated low-light testing system, developed in collaboration with NPL (National Physical Laboratory)
Environmental Stress Testing
  • Dark weathering chambers (mini-module up to 50 × 50 cm capacity)
  • Damp-heat
  • Thermal cycling
  • Humidity-freeze (cell only)
  • UV exposure
  • Salt-spray corrosion testing
Lamination
  • Large-area vacuum lamination
  • Butyl rubber edge sealing, for glass/glass or glass/polymer module formats

Optoelectronic Characterization (pre- and post-stress)

  • TRPL (time-resolved photoluminescence)
  • PL (photoluminescence)
  • EL (electroluminescence)
  • LBIC mapping (light beam induced current)
Additional Techniques
  • IMPS/IMVS (intensity-modulated photocurrent/photovoltage spectroscopy)
  • Materials analysis:
    • XPS/UPS (including mapping)
    • XRD (X-ray diffraction)
    • Raman spectroscopy (with PL/LBIC mapping)
    • SEM/FEG-SEM
    • UV-Vis
    • FTIR
    • Profilometry
    • Contact angle
    • BET surface area analysis

SU offers a wide range of performance and reliability testing for PV devices/modules, tailored to duration and conditions required. Measurements use Class AAA xenon or LED illumination (spectral tuning, low-light, temperature/humidity control), with long-term exposure via LED, xenon, or sulphur plasma sources (open circuit or MPPT).

Accelerated ageing covers damp-heat, thermal cycling, humidity-freeze, UV, and salt-spray. Encapsulation/lamination services include large-area vacuum lamination, edge sealing, solution-deposited barrier films, and R2R lamination for pilot trials. Characterization includes EL/PL, time-resolved techniques, LBIC mapping, lock-in thermography, plus materials analysis (XPS/UPS, XRD, Raman, SEM, UV-Vis, FTIR, profilometry, contact angle, BET).