Snail Trails – PV-Manufacturing
The has been several testing methods developed for susceptibility for snail trails. For example, a 50-100 hour damp-heat test at 85 °C and 85% relative humidity in combination with a
Figure 1 : Typical photos of solar panels affecetd by snail trail (from maintenace of photovoltaics parks of SolarWay) Within a few years this kind of PV module defect became widespread. In 2012 it was reported that about 50% of all newly installed modules were more or less affected from “snail trails” .
However, number of snail trails affected solar cells in the PV module were not mentioned. A 0.12 %/year loss in PMPP was observed due to snail trails, where 2.36 %/year loss in snail trails and 2.24 %/year loss in without snail trails affected PV modules were measured .
The has been several testing methods developed for susceptibility for snail trails. For example, a 50-100 hour damp-heat test at 85 °C and 85% relative humidity in combination with a forward bias current of 8 A has been shown to be able to create snail trails in susceptible PV modules . Figure 1: Photograph of a PV module with snail trails.
Thus, the current hypothesis is that certain polymer foil additives trigger the formation of “snail trails” in photovoltaic modules, but this has not yet been investigated in detail. It should be mentioned here, that there are controversial analytical results and conclusions concerning the chemical composition of “snail trail” discoloration.
The has been several testing methods developed for susceptibility for snail trails. For example, a 50-100 hour damp-heat test at 85 °C and 85% relative humidity in combination with a
Got ugly snail trails on your solar panels? Learn their true impact on performance and lifespan, plus smart ways to fix this common issue. Find out more now!
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