The most straightforward way to map the photo-induced short circuit current density (J(sc)) in solar cells is light beam-induced current (LBIC) mapping. Recently several methods for J(sc) imaging based on camera-based photoluminescence and illuminated lock-in thermography imaging were proposed. This letter reports an alternative method for J(sc) imaging, which is solely based on the evaluation of dark lock-in thermography images. This method is particularly advantageous to improve the accuracy of dark lock-in thermography based local efficiency analysis of solar cells. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.