Project Name: Metastability, Potential Induced Degradation, Damp Heat Degradation and Recovery in CIGS Devices: Effect of Alkali
Funding Opportunity: PVRD
SunShot Subprogram: Photovoltaics
Location: Las Vegas, NV
SunShot Award Amount: $900,403
Awardee Cost Share: $222,945
Principal Investigator: Shubhra Bansal
This project is working to understand degradation that occurs in copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar cells. CIGS devices can suffer from degradation due to high temperatures, damp heat, or high system voltage. Developing a further understanding of why degradation occurs in these environments will allow scientists and engineers to develop CIGS products that are able to withstand these elements and have lower degradation rates, leading to a lower cost of solar energy.
APPROACH
The research team will conduct testing on eight different types of CIGS samples to see how they are affected by exposure to light, voltage bias, humidity, temperature, and encapsulation. The team will compile performance metrics of CIGS samples that are processed differently and use the data as inputs for the device simulation platform. This will help to quantify transient behavior of the cells when they are exposed to light and/or heat, as well as any degradation due to damp heat and high voltages.
INNOVATION
This project will develop testing procedures to better gauge how different factors lead to the degradation of CIGS cells. By understanding how degradation occurs over time and developing predictive models, this project will enable the development of products with longer lifetimes, ultimately helping to meet the SunShot 2030 goal of reaching utility-scale solar power at $0.03/kWh.