Global. Leading. Sustainable

Hot-spot protect technology

Q Cells solar cells and modules are guaranteed to be hot-spot free – module fires are out of the question.
Solar cells with Hot-Spots can heat up to such a high temperature that parts of a module burn out. In the worst case scenario, a module can catch fire.
The Hanwha Q CELLS team makes sure that our products guarantee the highest level of reliability and safety.

“We keep cool about Hot-Spots. We only ship and process solar cells that are 100 % Hot-Spot free.”

HOW ARE HOT-SPOTS CREATED?

During different production steps, the primary material of solar cells – the silicon wafers – are subject to both chemicals and severe heat of up to 900 °C. They are also put under mechanical stress during transport. Together these factors can lead to very small material defects – so-called “micro cracks” – that cannot be seen during conventional final inspections. Defective edge insulation can also cause Hot-Spots.

WHAT CAN HOT-SPOTS CAUSE?

Hot-Spots really pop-up when modules are in partial shade. When one cell in a module is shaded (e. g. by an antenna, chimney or dirt), it doesn’t generate any current, but the rest of the cells in the module continue to work. This leads to reverse currents that prefer to run over the Hot-Spot area where they meet less electric resistance. Then, caused by this strong, isolated stress, parts of the Hot-Spot area can heat up to over 250 °C. At this point, the cell can burn through. In the “best case” scenario, this only leads to continual yield loss, but in the worst case scenario the module can catch fire.

WHY ARE THERE NO HOT-SPOTS WITH HANWHA Q CELLS?

To decrease the risk of Hot-Spots, many manufacturers simply lower the so-called breakdown voltage of the cells. This does reduce the maximum level to which a cell heats up, but it also reduces the cell’s performance. At Hanwha Q CELLS, however, a reverse current is put through all cells during the final inspection stages. An infra-red camera then shows any Hot-Spot as heat spot. Cells with Hot-Spots are then sorted out and recycled. The result is that our solar cells and modules are Hot-Spot free. With our Hot-Spot Protect, Hanwha Q CELLS is the only PV company that is able to sort out all Hot-Spot affected cells across the board in order to provide solar owners with the ultimate level of protection.

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