Photovoltaics researchers release five-year, early-life module degradation study

A team led by photovoltaics researchers at Sandia has completed a five-year degradation study of 834 fielded photovoltaic modules, representing 13 types of modules from seven manufacturers in three climates. Their objective was to quantify degradation rates of recent, widely used photovoltaic technologies and release results publicly to inform relevant stakeholders and best practices.

The team’s Progress in Photovoltaics article gives the results of their study and represents years of work at Sandia’s Photovoltaic Systems Evaluation Laboratory and partnering labs at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the University of Central Florida.

“The PV market is continuously changing, and there is a lack of long-term field data for these newer technologies, which raises the question whether durability has been affected or not,” team lead Marios Theristis said. “Purchasing PV modules directly from the open market allows us to conduct an unbiased analysis and inform the public in an onymous manner by also releasing the data. Partnership with NREL and UCF was imperative for such a study because it enabled us to install identical systems in different climates and characterize them following a well-controlled and harmonized measurement plan.”

Read the complete Lab News article.