Environmental stress cracking (ESC) begins with crazes on the surface of the plastic. Plastic optics may corrode due to ESC. Usually ductile, plastic may become brittle, and subject to failure due to mechanical, physical, or chemical influences. Stress cracking is accelerated by temperature cycling, duration, temperature, chemicals, and cross-linking, orientation, or other characteristics within the plastic. Plastic optics for solar energy conversion include large-area Fresnel lens parquets commonly used in concentrator photovoltaics (CPV). Solar energy conversion takes place in a harsh environment. We look for evidence for ESC in plastics and glass optics for sunlight collection, measure stress, and discuss the possible impact of stress on longevity, optical efficiency, test methods, and manufacturing strategies.

Date Published: 20 August 2009
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 7412, Reliability of Photovoltaic Cells, Modules, Components, and Systems II, 741206 (20 August 2009); doi: 10.1117/12.827357

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7412:
Reliability of Photovoltaic Cells, Modules, Components, and Systems II
Neelkanth G. Dhere; John H. Wohlgemuth; Dan T. Ton, Editor(s)