Designed service life of photovoltaic panels

What is end-of-life management for photovoltaics?

End-of-life management for photovoltaics (PV) refers to the processes that occur when solar panels and all other components are retired from operation. There are millions of solar installations connected to the grid in the United States, which means there are hundreds of millions of PV panels in use.

Why do we need reliable service lifetime prediction of PV modules & components?

For example, reliable service lifetime predictions aid: PV module and components manu-facturers to provide more realistic warranties, PV project investors to make good financial decisions, and consumers to increase their trust in PV energy. More reliable service lifetime prediction of PV modules and components is still quite a challenge.

Are service lifetime and degradation models suitable for PV modules?

The latest scientific work shows that service lifetime and degradation models for PV modules are of specific use if they combine different modelling approaches and include know-how and modelling parameters of the most relevant degradation effects.

What is the lifetime of a PV module?

Therefore, in the manufacturers’ context, the lifetime of a PV module is often defined as the time required for a PV module to lose its initial STC power by 20% (so-called degradation limit) . For outdoor degradation evaluations, statistical methods are commonly used.

How accurate is public data on photovoltaic (PV) module degradation?

High-accuracy public data on photovoltaic (PV) module degradation from the Department of Energy (DOE) Regional Test Centers will increase the accuracy and precision of degradation profiles calculated for representative PV hardware installed in the U.S.

How many PV lifetime systems are available?

The site supports three PV Lifetime systems: 20 modules each of Mission Solar MSE360SQ6S (Mono-PERC), Sunpreme Maxima HxB 400 (bifacial HJT), and Prism Solar Bi72 (bifacial PERC). The systems are grid-tied through SolarEdge SE20k inverters and utilize module-level power optimization to identify rear irradiance mismatch throughout the system.