Methodology
Since 2012, Kiwa PVEL’s Product Qualification Program has focused on benchmarking PV module reliability and performance. Our PQP reports and results support informed solar procurement and investment decisions. Discover more about PV module components, our testing methods and scoring of PV modules.
Go Inside a PV
Module
Top Performers are listed in the Scorecard by model type, but each of these represents a unique bill of materials (BOM) or multiple bills of materials (BOMs) that Kiwa PVEL has tested in our PQP.
Scroll to explore the materials of a PV module and click on labels to see how many types of each component were used in the BOMs tested for the 2024 Scorecard.
The Importance of PQP
Testing
Changes in PV module components can have big impacts to reliability and performance, and the industry’s certification tests are typically not rigorous enough to identify these potential issues. Module warranties also often have shortcomings that leave site owners exposed to significant financial losses. Kiwa PVEL’s PV Module PQP is a comprehensive protocol of tests focused on addressing these concerns and helping module buyers achieve better procurement.
Four principles have guided the PQP since it was launched in 2012: the importance of empirical data replacing assumptions; using standard processes for benchmarking across products; third-party witnessing of the PQP sample production to remove hand-picked, golden samples; and updating the PQP test plan regularly to keep it relevant to current module technology and manufacturing processes.
Visit kiwa.com/pvel/pqp/methodology to read more on these topics and see the PQP test chart.
How BOMs are
Scored
To be eligible for the 2024 Scorecard, manufacturers must have:
- Completed the PQP sample production factory witness after October 1, 2022
- Submitted at least two factory-witnessed PV module samples to all PQP reliability tests, as per Kiwa PVEL’s BOM test requirements.
The 2024 PV Module Reliability Scorecard shows Top Performers for seven PQP test categories.
Top Performers are determined by averaging that specific test’s results for every BOM tested by Kiwa PVEL that is sold under the same model type. To be listed as a Top Performer, the modules must not have experienced a wet leakage failure, a ‘major’ defect during visual inspection or a diode failure during that particular test.
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Top Performers for TC,
DH,
MSS and PID must have <2% power degradation. - Top Performers for HSS must not have experienced glass breakage during hail testing using 40 mm hail or larger (the actual hail size is shown in the Top Performer list).
- Top Performers for LID+LETID must have < 1% power degradation when combining the LID and LETID test results.
- Top Performers for PAN performance must place in the top quartile for energy yield in Kiwa PVEL’s PVsyst simulations.
Not all products or model types are represented in every test. Manufacturers can choose not to be listed in the Scorecard. In some cases, test results for some test categories were not available at the time of Scorecard publication. Kiwa PVEL’s Premium Partner Program subscribers access more detailed PQP results on a quarterly basis rather than waiting for the next Scorecard. Find out more about subscribing here.
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