Leaching via weak spots in photovoltaic modules
| Autor: | Michael Koch, Jessica Nover, Renate Zapf-Gottwick, Juergen Heinz Werner, Carolin Feifel |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2023 |
| Předmět: |
Amorphous silicon
Control and Optimization Materials science 020209 energy Energy Engineering and Power Technology chemistry.chemical_element 02 engineering and technology 010501 environmental sciences 01 natural sciences lcsh:Technology delamination chemistry.chemical_compound 0202 electrical engineering electronic engineering information engineering Crystalline silicon Electrical and Electronic Engineering Gallium Engineering (miscellaneous) 0105 earth and related environmental sciences photovoltaic modules Renewable Energy Sustainability and the Environment lcsh:T solubility Delamination 333.7 Copper indium gallium selenide solar cells Cadmium telluride photovoltaics leaching chemistry Chemical engineering long term Leaching (metallurgy) Indium Energy (miscellaneous) |
| Zdroj: | Energies, Vol 14, Iss 692, p 692 (2021) Energies Volume 14 Issue 3 |
| DOI: | 10.18419/opus-12652 |
| Popis: | This study identifies unstable and soluble layers in commercial photovoltaic modules during 1.5 year long-term leaching. Our experiments cover modules from all major photovoltaic technologies containing solar cells from crystalline silicon (c-Si), amorphous silicon (a-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), and copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS). These technologies cover more than 99.9% of the world market. We cut out module pieces of 5 × 5 cm2 in size from these modules and leached them in water-based solutions with pH 4, pH 7, and pH 11, in order to simulate different environmental conditions. Unstable layers open penetration paths for water-based solutions finally, the leaching results in delamination. In CdTe containing module pieces, the CdTe itself and the back contact are unstable and highly soluble. In CIGS containing module pieces, all of the module layers are more or less soluble. In the case of c-Si module pieces, the cells&rsquo aluminum back contact is unstable. Module pieces from a-Si technology also show a soluble back contact. Long-term leaching leads to delamination in all kinds of module pieces delamination depends strongly on the pH value of the solutions. For low pH-values, the time dependent leaching is well described by an exponential saturation behavior and a leaching time constant. The time constant depends on the pH, as well as on accelerating conditions such as increased temperature and/or agitation. Our long-term experiments clearly demonstrate that it is possible to leach out all, or at least a large amount, of the (toxic) elements from the photovoltaic modules. It is therefore not sufficient to carry out experiments just over 24 h and to conclude on the stability and environmental impact of photovoltaic modules. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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