In situ quantification of temperature and strain within photovoltaic modules through optical sensing

Abstract

The ability to quantify internal strain levels within a photovoltaic (PV) laminate is essential to aid in the development of reliable and sustainable PV modules. This need is even greater for emerging applications with a high degree of integration such as vehicle and infrastructure integrated PV. Within this work, we demonstrate a scalable optical sensing solution, which allows for the in situ thermo-mechanical strain and temperature monitoring of photovoltaic modules. Using a combination of two optic fibers with fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) with a different packaging, an absolute in-laminate temperature accuracy of +/-$$ \pm $$ 0.3 degrees C has been achieved along with the ability to detect changes in strain as low as +/-$$ \pm $$ 0.248 mu epsilon. The sensor solution provides the potential to monitor and quantify various failure modes or degradation at various stages in the development process up to in-field monitoring. Furthermore, it provides a platform for the direct validation of physics-based simulations.