Abstract
Renewable energy is going to play an immensely important role in the coming decades. Hence, the bulk manufacturing of solar panels has seen a renewed interest. For this purpose, it is imperatively important to assess the techniques that can be employed on automated production lines for evaluating the quality of solar wafers and cells. To-date many non-destructive testing methods to access the micro-defects in solar wafers and cells have been developed around the globe; however, not all of them can be applied on a fast-paced production line. In this regard, this study details all the non-destructive evaluating techniques that can be employed on an automated production line. Using a multi-attribute decision-making method, a strategic evaluation procedure is developed that can be adopted for the optimum selection of evaluation tools currently available in the market. This study is aimed at young researchers, graduate students and practitioners who want to come up-to-speed regarding the various defects that occur in solar wafers and cells along with the techniques that are currently being adopted to evaluate those defects. Also, future trends in research are highlighted regarding the development of assessment techniques.