Solar Panel Short Circuit Damage

In an ideal device every photon above the bandgap gives one charge carrier in the external circuit so the highest current is for the lowest bandgap.

Solar panel short circuit damage.

This phenomenon can ultimately lead to a short circuit and reduces the performance and lifespan of the pv panel. Laboratory devices have measured short circuit currents of over 42 ma cm 2 and commercial solar cell have short circuit currents between about 28 ma cm 2 and 35 ma cm 2. While it is conceivable that a solar panel may be damaged while running under short circuit if it is then it is faulty and would also have been damaged by. We have identified hot spots in several solar parks leading to solar panels being replaced adding significant opex costs to those projects.

Solar panels are designed to be continuously operated at very very close to their short circuit current. If the positive and negative leads of a solar panels are connected together for just a short time it will not damage the panel. This is because if one part of a solar panel is damaged the energy output loss is considerable and almost as if you lost the entire panel. Current the solar panels are producing when not connected to a load but when the plus and minus of the panels wires are directly connected to each other.

You can reduce the loss of energy output by reducing the size of the solar panels. So if you put too much voltage into most electronics you will damage them. A good quick test of a solar panel is to run it short circuited into an ammeter. There may be some sort of effect at the pn junction with current flow vs not but i have not read anything one way or the other.

Installing smaller solar panels can reduce the damage caused during a hail storm.