Areal Cell Temperature Monitoring Using Array of In-Laminate Integrated Sensors for Partial Shading Detection

In this work, we evaluate a novel method of measuring surface temperature distribution over a c-Si solar cell using temperature sensors integrated inside the module lamination. The target is to accurately measure thermal gradient of the cell during its operation time, evaluate cell temperature variation in real-life operation conditions, and finally detect partial shading using deviations in areal thermal readings. In contrast to measurements from the backside of the module, up to 5 °C temperature value difference has been observed which could be attributed to heat dissipation in the cell structure and wind flow. Planar temperature measurement resolution of ~ 3 cm × 3 cm has been achieved in the current work, which could be readily utilized to gain a better insight into reliability of the solar modules by continuous monitoring of the photovoltaic cell at various in-field operation conditions. As evidence for effectiveness of our method in continuous monitoring of the cell temperature, partial shading of a cell during one day of operation was evaluated, clearly showing the exact pattern of the shaded area.