Practical Solutions to Common Solar Module Challenges: First Energy’s Expert Guide
First Energy is committed to continuously improving product quality and technical support, partnering with customers to tackle manufacturing and application challenges.
October 09, 2025. By News Bureau
As a leading solar cell manufacturer, First Energy is dedicated to providing high-quality products and expert technical support. Solar modules may face various challenges in production and field operation, impacting system stability and efficiency. To help our clients understand and address these issues, we present the following solutions to improve module performance and reduce operational risks.
Technical and Quality Issues During Solar Module Production
Causes and Prevention of Microcracks or Cell Breakage
Microcracks primarily result from improper handling, excessive equipment pressure, welding thermal stress, or insufficient cell strength. Prevention requires optimising handling procedures, calibrating equipment parameters, selecting qualified cells, and refining welding processes. Defective cells with microcracks should be identified promptly through electroluminescence (EL) testing and automatic optical inspection, and any string containing microcracks must be scrapped to ensure product quality.
Remedies for Cold Soldering and Over-Soldering
These defects arise from improper control of welding temperature, time, and pressure, oxidation of busbars, failure of flux, or equipment ageing. It is essential to optimise and monitor welding parameters in real time, ensure the quality of busbars and flux, regularly calibrate equipment, and perform post-welding tensile and EL tests. Minor cold solder joints may be repaired manually, whereas severely defective strings must be discarded.
Handling Busbar Misalignment or Bending
Causes and Solutions for Bubbles or Vacuum Defects
Such defects are caused by insufficient vacuum extraction, vacuum bag leakage, improper lamination temperature, or moisture in materials. Optimising lamination procedures, regularly replacing consumables, ensuring proper material storage, and monitoring parameters are essential. Visual and EL inspection after lamination is required; small bubbles can be repaired, while large bubbles necessitate downgrading or scrapping the module.
Delamination and Poor Adhesion: Causes and Countermeasures
Delamination is usually due to improper lamination temperature, material incompatibility, or surface contamination. It is important to optimise lamination parameters, enforce strict material acceptance criteria, thoroughly clean the glass and backsheet, and control humidity. Modules exhibiting delamination are generally scrapped.Preventing Cell String Misalignment or Uneven Spacing
This results from improper operation or low-precision tooling. The use of high-precision tooling, operator training, and manual or visual inspection after layup is necessary. Detected misalignment should be corrected before lamination.
Addressing Poor Frame Installation
Ensuring Complete Cleaning Before Final Assembly
Incomplete cleaning is usually caused by improper processes or unsuitable cleaning agents. It is essential to standardise cleaning procedures, use dedicated cleaning agents, ensure cleaning cloths are clean, and perform visual inspections after cleaning. Any non-conforming products should be reprocessed.Managing Significant Deviations in Power Testing
Deviations often result from inaccurate equipment calibration or fluctuating test environments. Regular calibration of equipment, stabilising the testing environment, and retesting abnormal modules with curve diagnostics are necessary to ensure accurate results.Practical Challenges in Solar Module Operation
Addressing Power Degradation in Solar ModulesPower degradation occurs when output drops beyond industry standards (≤2.5 percent in year one, ≤0.7 percent annually thereafter), caused by initial cell manufacturing issues, ageing materials, dust, and high temperatures. Solutions include regular cleaning, shading removal, ventilation, and EL/IV testing. Modules with excessive degradation or near end-of-life should be replaced.
Managing Hot Spots on Solar Modules
Causes and Management of Microcracks in Field Operations
Microcracks stem from transport damage, installation impacts, or silicon brittleness. Detected via EL imaging, minor cracks require monitoring; severe or through-cracks necessitate module replacement to avoid power loss and safety risks.Identifying and Resolving Junction Box Failures
Failures manifest as power loss, overheating, or smoke due to diode damage, loose wiring, or seal failure, allowing moisture ingress. Resolution includes power disconnection, diode testing/replacement, connection cleaning/tightening, moisture removal, seal replacement, and resealing.Handling Glass Damage, Frame Corrosion, and Seal Failures
Glass damage from impacts or thermal stress requires replacement if severe; minor cracks need monitoring. Frame corrosion from the environment can be treated with rust removal and coatings unless structural integrity is compromised. Sealing failures causing fogging or moisture ingress can be repaired if minor; severe cases require module replacement.First Energy is committed to continuously improving product quality and technical support, partnering with customers to tackle manufacturing and application challenges. We pledge to provide efficient, reliable solar solutions with professionalism and innovation, fostering sustainable growth in the photovoltaic industry.
- Yaping Wang, CTO of Nanjing First Energy Co., Ltd. and Jiaolong Wei, Director of Nanjing First Energy Co., Ltd.
please contact: contact@energetica-india.net.
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