https://www.pv-tech.org/pv-techs-intersolar-europe-2024-takeaways/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=linkedin
Quality and reliability
There was also a noticeable emphasis on PV module and system quality assurance and reliability at the show.
Walking Intersolar’s vast halls, numerous stalls were focused on quality assurance and testing, with notable presence from Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE (Fraunhofer ISE), ISC Konstanz and other testing houses. There was also a panel discussion on the topic.
A number of recent reports have raised eyebrows about the number of defects in solar modules reaching the market. Late last year, Clean Energy Associates (CEA) published findings that showed a “massive increase” in PV module defects, and more recently Kiwa PVEL published its Module Reliability Scorecard which recorded the highest number of module failures in its ten-year history.
These recent developments have coincided with the industry’s arrival as a “terawatt-scale” force and the huge capacity expansions – way in excess of market demand – from Chinese manufacturers. Correlation does not imply causation, but one source at the show told us that some manufacturers are not tested regularly after obtaining a certification from a technological testing house, and as such may begin to cut corners once the qualification has been issued.