Independent testing lab Kiwa PVEL today publishes its 10th edition of the “PV Module Reliability Scorecard” report. The scorecard provides the solar industry with a comprehensive resource of testing insights gained from Kiwa PVEL’s Product Qualification Program (PQP), a suite of reliability and performance tests that analyze modules across a range of conditions, from temperature and humidity effects in thermal cycling and damp heat to evaluating the impacts of mechanical stress and hail.

In this 10th edition, Kiwa PVEL names a record of 53 manufacturers and 388 model types as “Top Performers” in one or more tests, with eight manufacturers named as Top Performers in all categories. Relevant updates to this year’s scorecard include:

• A new Top Performer category for hail, highlighting modules that did not experience glass breakage with larger than 40-mm hail.
• A higher bar for LID+LETID and PAN Top Performers, with a raised threshold for Top Performer qualification as technologies have improved.
• Better recognition of manufacturers that are Top Performers in multiple categories.
• Key takeaways on the impacts of various cell technologies and module designs.
• The first deep dive into Kiwa PVEL’s Incidence Angle Modifier (IAM) test results.

“Our 2024 Scorecard showcases strong results across a diverse group of solar module manufacturers, which reflects the excellence and growth we have observed in PV manufacturing in recent years,” said Kevin Gibson, managing director of Kiwa PVEL. “For over a decade, we’ve tested assumptions about solar module reliability and performance while continuing to refine our methodology as the industry continues to innovate with new technologies and module designs. We’re proud that we’re still setting a high bar for manufacturers and providing downstream buyers with the crucial information they need to make educated procurement decisions.”

The full list of Top Performers is available on the site as a searchable database, where results can be filtered by PQP test, manufacturer name, module type, cell technology and more.

“While we applaud the advances in manufacturing and the number of Top Performers listed, we remind buyers to remain vigilant,” said Tristan Erion-Lorico, VP of sales and marketing at Kiwa PVEL. “We encourage them to explore each page of the scorecard to better understand the range of test results that we’re seeing every day at Kiwa PVEL’s labs.”

To be eligible for the 2024 Scorecard, manufacturers must have completed the PQP sample production factory witness after October 1, 2022, and submitted at least two factory-witnessed PV module samples to all PQP reliability tests, as per Kiwa PVEL’s BOM test requirements.

News item from Kiwa PVEL