Investigation of the PV module electrical performance and the corrosion expansion by Python Image Processing

This study examines the corrosion growth of a specific selected PV modules, chosen from the rooftop system that have been installed more than 17 years at the CES Solar Cell Testing Centre in Thailand. The research, conducted from 2017 to 2022, examines performance under standard test conditions (STC), visual assessments, and Python- based image processing. Results indicate that in 2022, the module's power output was 68% below its nameplate specification, exhibiting a deterioration rate of 1.86% after 17 years. Visual examinations revealed problems included browning, delamination, fractures, and corrosion, with the corrosion area expanding from 0.046 cm² in 2017 to 0.173 cm² in 2022, reaching a maximum in 2019 with a growth rate of 2.95%. The maximum power diminished by more than 15%, down from 96.10 W in 2017 to 82.00 W in 2022, mostly attributable to a drop in short-circuit current. The research highlights the considerable adverse effect of corrosion on the electrical efficiency of photovoltaic modules and proposes strategies for predictive maintenance and image-based diagnostics for extensive datasets in photovoltaic reliability evaluation.