SeriesInformation ; 26th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition; 2974-2980 ; Abstract ; For achieving a monolithic series connection of cells in a Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin film module, the combination of laser scribing and mechanical scribing is used. Defects in these scribing processes can severely deteriorate the module efficiency. We investigate the influence of a defect mechanical scribing of the transparent conductive oxide (TCO), which is the front contact of a CIGS module, on the current and voltage distribution in the module. We first present a detailed explanation of the defect mechanisms that typically result from a TCO scribing defect. In a second step we confirm the general explanation with simulation results. Finally, we explain how the defect mechanisms influence the appearance of TCO scribing defects in electroluminescence (EL) images and thus, how they can be identified quickly in EL measurements.