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2021 PV Module Reliability Scorecard

Next Steps

It is time for sustainable growth

As climate change propels nations and companies toward aggressive clean energy targets, the expansion of solar power must continue. But rapid growth is not without risk. As PV module manufacturing capacity increases, so do mistakes on production lines.

Technical advances are raising expectations for energy yield in the field. These expectations cannot be fulfilled if manufacturers overlook quality controls and buyers do not require these controls.

The high failure rates noted in this year’s Scorecard, particularly for junction boxes, prove that independent testing remains necessary.

Continuing on our decade+ mission to deliver empirical data that drives the adoption of reliable solar power, PVEL has partnered with Kiwa, a global testing, inspection and certification firm, to make our data matter for every solar power plant on every continent.

A Message from Our New Partner, Kiwa Group

We’re proud of our new partnership with PVEL because it offers a synergistic effect for our customers as demand for solar power grows.

PVEL’s North American presence brings Kiwa close to our customers on all continents – just as Kiwa’s global footprint brings PVEL closer to its partners around the world.

Together, we are increasing our contributions to the advancement of solar power and toward a better, more sustainable world.

Paul Hesselink, CEO
Kiwa Group

PVEL is positioned to meet accelerating demand

As a member of the Kiwa Group, PVEL is positioned to meet accelerating demand for independent testing especially as PV module technology radically changes.

PVEL is actively testing many products that represent the most anticipated and debated technical advancement today: large-format PV modules.

Some of the manufacturers and designs currently under test are named in the table.

Manufacturer
Product Design
Astronergy
182mm, 144-cell, bifacial;
210mm, 132-cell, bifacial
Boviet
182mm, 144-cell, bifacial
DMEGC
182mm, 144-cell, bifacial
ET Solar
182mm, 144-cell, bifacial
HT-SAAE
182mm, 144-cell, bifacial
Jinko
182mm, 144-cell, bifacial
Maxeon/SunPower
210mm, shingled, bifacial
Risen Energy
210mm, 110-cell, bifacial
Seraphim
182mm, 144-cell, bifacial
Trina Solar
210mm, 120-cell, monofacial;
210mm, 110-cell, bifacial;
210mm, 110-cell, monofacial;
210mm, 132-cell, bifacial;
210mm, 132-cell, monofacial
VSUN
182mm, 144-cell, bifacial
Suntech
182mm, 144-cell, monofacial

About the Authors

Tara Doyle

Chief Commercial Officer

Tara Doyle built the foundation of PVEL’s commercial operations when she joined in 2012 and is one of PVEL’s longest-standing employees. Downstream PV module buyers, investors and asset owners should contact Tara to learn more about our Product Qualification Programs.

Tristan Erion-Lorico

Head of PV Module Business

As PVEL’s head of PV module business, Tristan collaborates with PV module buyers, investors, research institutions, and manufacturers to develop innovative performance and reliability test programs for product qualification. Manufacturers should contact Tristan to start testing their products at PVEL.

Ryan Desharnais

Chief Technical Officer

Ryan leads PVEL’s engineering team and is responsible for all of PVEL’s testing research and development. Connect with Ryan to learn more about our test methodologies and procedures.

Additional contributors to the 2021 PV Module Reliability Scorecard include: David DeLong, Lee Malmgren, Max Macpherson, Tori Clifford, and Victor Samuel.

About PV Evolution Labs (PVEL)

PVEL is the leading independent lab for the downstream solar and energy storage industry and a member of the Kiwa Group.

As a bankability testing pioneer, PVEL has accumulated more than a decade of measured reliability and performance data for PV and storage equipment.

Today PVEL provides developers, investors and asset owners with a suite of technical services for mitigating risk, optimizing financing and improving system performance throughout the project lifecycle.

PVEL’s flagship Product Qualification Programs for PV modules, inverters and energy storage systems connect manufacturers with a global network of 400+ downstream partners representing 30+ gigawatts of annual buying power.

Learn how PVEL makes data matter at pvel.com.

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