Cell Cracks
Cell cracks can form in different lengths and orientations in a solar cell. The wafer slicing, cell production, stringing, the embedding process during the production of the solar cell and module, the module transport to the site, or the handling and installation, are all sources of cell cracks. The cracks and microcracks can be detected easily with electroluminescence technique as shown in the picture below. The associated power losses to the aforementioned phenomenon will depend on the size and depth of the crack, while the crack propagation is purely influenced by the site conditions (for instance, wind, temperature and snow).