Independent testing laboratory Kiwa PVEL names 53 manufacturers and 388 models – a record number of top performers in the Scorecard’s ten-year history.
PV Evolution Labs (PVEL), an independent testing laboratory for the downstream solar industry and member of the Kiwa Group, has published its PV Module Reliability Scorecard 2024. These 10e The Scorecard edition names 388 PV module model types from 53 manufacturers as Top Performers in PVEL’s testing, the highest number in the company’s history. Last year the Scorecard named 250 model types among 35 manufacturers.
Kiwa PVEL uses the Product Qualification Program (PQP) to provide the solar industry with empirical data for benchmarking PV modules and energy yield and financial modules at project level to identify the best performing PV modules.
The PQP was expanded in fall 2023 with a new test to address concerns around ultraviolet-induced degradation (UVID). It also refocused the hail stress series (HSS) on identifying the threshold for glass breakage and modified the mechanical stress series (MSS) to address issues with the mechanical durability of modules.
In addition to extensive PQP testing, other updates to the Scorecard include a new Top Performer category for hail, highlighting modules that did not experience glass breakage in ≥40mm hail, and a higher bar for LID+LETID and PAN Top Performers, with a increased threshold for Top Performer qualification as technologies have improved,
This year’s Scorecard highlights manufacturers that are top performers in multiple categories, provides key insights on the impact of different cell technologies and module designs, and – for the first time – offers a deep dive into Kiwa PVEL’s Incidence Angle Modifier (IAM) test results .
“Our 2024 Scorecard shows strong results from a diverse group of solar panel manufacturers, reflecting the excellence and growth we have seen in PV manufacturing in recent years,” said Kevin Gibson, Managing Director of Kiwa PVEL. “For more than a decade we have been testing assumptions about the reliability and performance of solar panels, continuing to refine our methodology as the industry continues to innovate with new technologies and module designs. We are proud to continue to set the bar high for manufacturers and provide downstream buyers with the critical information they need to make informed purchasing decisions.”
This partial list shows for which tests each manufacturer achieved Top Performer status with one or more models. Kiwa PVEL noted that in some cases, test results for some test categories were not yet available at the time the Scorecard was published. Manufacturers are ranked by the number of tests, followed by the number of years they have been ranked as a Top Performer, in alphabetical order. Click here to find model numbers. The complete list of top performers is a searchable database, where results can be filtered by PQP test, manufacturer name, module type, cell technology and more.
“With more than 50,000 unique visitors to the 2023 edition, our Scorecard is the industry’s leading source for module reliability insights. While we applaud the progress in production and the number of Top Performers named, we remind buyers to remain vigilant,” said Tristan Erion-Lorico, vice president of sales and marketing at Kiwa PVEL. “We encourage them to explore every page of the Scorecard to better understand the range of test results we see every day in Kiwa PVEL laboratories.”
Notable in this year’s test results is that 66% of module manufacturers experience at least one test failure, which is the highest percentage ever reported, according to Kiwa PVEL.
With extreme weather conditions wreaking havoc on some solar installations in recent months, the new Top Performer category for hail puts the spotlight on the way hail testing is conducted. Kiwa PVEL focuses almost exclusively on 2.0 mm glass//glass and 3.2 mm glass//back plate, but the results showed that three tested parts lists of 2.5 mm glass//glass showed no glass breakage with 50 mm hail . Kiwa PVEL noted that while glass breakage is not typically considered an “error” in the scorecard, some manufacturers required multiple retests with the same hail diameter before achieving the desired hail test performance, and that three manufacturers had modules with the junction box cover falling off fell due to the hail. implications.
To qualify for the 2024 Scorecard, manufacturers must have completed the PQP sample production factory witnessing and submitted at least two factory observed PV module samples to all PQP reliability testing after October 1, 2022, according to Kiwa PVEL’s BOM testing requirements.
Kiwa PVEL, a testing laboratory for downstream project developers, financiers and asset owners around the world, is part of the Kiwa Group.
Access the scorecard here. Read more about last year’s Scorecard here.
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