KenMar wants to know this.
Even Xod may.
RoHa may be able to make some money from it. Maybe not.

The following may have significant implications for people interested 
in amorphous silicon solar cells.
If that's not you then ...

It is generally known that the output of amorphous silicon solar cells 
diminishes with time due to light induced damage (termed the 
Staebler-Wronski effect fwiw).

HOWEVER this joint investigation by UFSC Brazil (relevantly, often a 
nice warm place), US NREL, Brazilian LABSOLAR and U.Arizona.State show 
that

- The minimum operating temperature of the cell during its annual 
summer winter temperature cycle has a marked effect on the degree of 
degradation that occurs.

- Degradation is reversible by using it in a warmer climate.

- (as is generally known) "Thermal annealing" at 150 C for 2 hours 
will completely reverse the effect. (The mountings for many a.si cells 
would not tolerate this treatment).

        http://www.poly.asu.edu/ptl/R&D_html/publications-articles/IEEEPVSC%20of%20Jan05-Final.pdf

It seems to me (what would I know) that it should be very easy to 
increase a cell's operating temperature by increasing the amount of 
insolation trapped thermally. Whether this can reasonably done 
economically is moot.

ASi solar cells are very much the poor relations of the solar cell 
world. It may be that cooking your old ones in a medium oven for 2 
hours will sort them out one way or the other.



        Russell.. .. 

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