Roles of SiNx in Potential-induced Degradation for p-type Crystalline Si Photovoltaic Modules

In order to investigate the role of SiNx anti-reflection coating in potential-induced degradation (PID) for p-type crystalline Si cells, PID tests were carried out using the cell without SiNx. PID did not occur with the module using the cell without SiNx even if the voltage of -2000 V was applied for 1 week. The simulation results of electric field distribution for the module without SiNx under applied voltage suggest that electric field is not be applied to cell-surface. Therefore, it is concluded that no electric field applied to SiNx is the most important to prevent PID.