Turn Your Half-Cut Cells for a Stronger Module

Abstract

We employ an existing model of crystalline silicon photovoltaic module cell fracture to explore the effect of cell size and orientation on their probability of fracture under module uniform loading. In addition, we also apply continuum damage mechanics to modify this model to consider the effect of cell fracture on the probability of subsequent cell fracture. We elucidate that cell fracture increases the probability of subsequent cell fracture and that rectangular modules containing half-cells aligned with the module's long orientation are much more robust against cell fracture than full-cell and half-cell short orientation modules.