Photovoltaic module reliability: Enduring a storm

Summary form only given. In contrast to integrated circuits, solar panels need to withstand large variations in environment and weather conditions. Photovoltaic modules must withstand 0-100% humidity at -20°C to 100°C with voltages up to 1000 V and thousands of thermal cycles. Therefore, predicting lifetime is no better than predicting the weather. Yet lifetime estimates directly impact the levelized cost of a power generation system and therefore must be quantified. This talk will outline many of the failure modes for solar panels and the failure analysis techniques that are commonly used. Thermal and emission images are the dominate method for identifying egradation in a solar module.