PID Risk Identified Before Significant Power Loss

EL diagnostics uncovered hidden degradation patterns invisible to conventional inspections, helping mitigate future revenue loss.

Project Overview

During a routine asset health assessment, Aura PV conducted a drone-based EL inspection on a utility-scale solar facility utilizing high-efficiency photovoltaic modules.

The inspection was performed to evaluate hidden degradation mechanisms that could not be detected through conventional O&M practices.

The Challenge

Potential Induced Degradation (PID) remains one of the most significant risks affecting modern PV technologies, including PERC, TOPCon, and HJT modules.

Many facilities experience performance degradation during the first few years of operation without visible warning signs.

Traditional inspections frequently fail to identify PID until substantial energy losses have already occurred.

Key Findings

EL imaging revealed:

• Non-uniform cell brightness

• Electrical shunting patterns

• Early-stage degradation signatures

These indicators were consistent with developing PID-related performance loss.

The affected modules appeared visually normal and showed no obvious thermal anomalies.

Business Impact

By identifying the issue early, the owner was able to:

• Investigate root causes before widespread degradation

• Implement targeted corrective actions

• Reduce future energy losses

• Improve long-term system reliability

  
  

Industry research shows that advanced PID mechanisms can contribute to double-digit production losses if left unaddressed.

Why It Matters

Modern high-efficiency cell technologies have introduced new PID-related risks that cannot be effectively monitored using visual inspection or thermal imaging alone.

EL inspection provides a direct view into cell-level electrical behavior, allowing owners to identify and mitigate degradation before financial impacts become significant.

Key Outcome

PID-related degradation identified at an early stage, enabling preventive action before substantial power loss occurred.

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