RETC (Renewable Energy Test Center)

ICYMI: "Large-format modules, and concerns about how to support them, are not new. The cover article of our Spring 2020 edition, 'Mounting and Cracking' examined the structural durability issues inherent with large-format solar modules. But, as RETC notes in the intro of this report, we all might have understated or misunderstood all of the impacts: 'The early warning efforts documented in our article, Evaluating Large-Format PV Modules, are simultaneously prescient and na?ve. While we had clearly identified a signal in our laboratory testing and field forensics—namely, structural vulnerabilities associated with newer module designs—we did not necessarily understand the root cause of the issue.'" https://lnkd.in/gAyAmY32

Is a decline in the compressive strength of solar module glass partly to blame for some of the unique field failure modes associated with new ultra-large-format PV module designs? To learn more about glass manufacturing and reliability science, we interviewed James Webb of Corning Incorporated for RETC's sixth annual?PV Module Index Report. https://lnkd.in/eaUGThcx

“A tiny town in North Carolina that’s just been devastated by hurricane Helene could end up severely disrupting the global supply chain for microchips and solar panels. Nestled in the Appalachian mountains, the community of Spruce Pine, population 2,194, is known for its hiking, local artists and as America’s sole source of high-purity quartz. Helene dumped more than 2 feet of rain on the town, destroying roads, shops and cutting power and water.” https://lnkd.in/ej5uP_4u

Our 2024 PVMI Awards Ceremony was a huge success! We appreciate everyone who joined us and hope for an even bigger turnout in 2025. This event celebrates module companies that meet RETC's high achievement criteria for #PV module reliability, performance, and quality—as determined by rigorous beyond-certification testing. So, the best way to get a VIP ticket to the event is to submit PV modules for evaluation according to our rigorous Thresher Test product qualification program. Introduced at the 2011 PV Module Quality Assurance Forum, RETC's Thresher Test is the #solar industry’s first-ever commercial reliability and durability analysis standard for PV modules. The program takes its name from a type of farm equipment used to separate high-quality seed and grain from low-quality straw and chaff. Much as a threshing machine beats plants to separate organic materials according to utility and desirability, the Thresher Test uses highly accelerated stress sequences to separate high-quality PV module designs from low-quality ones. Contact your product manager to submit projects now!

"The glass thickness of PV modules plays a big role in hail risk mitigation – 3.2mm glass PV modules perform better than 2mm modules and can survive hailstones with a diameter of up to 35mm, but both suffer damages with a 75mm ice ball. Extended hail tests—such as those provided by the independent test labs RETC (Renewable Energy Test Center) and PV Evolution Labs—can identify and select hail-resilient modules. This can significantly reduce risk exposure in hail-prone regions." Download the Allianz white paper here: https://lnkd.in/gVs9Wq2p

Join us at the PVCellTech Conference USA in San Francisco! On Tuesday, October 8th, Cherif Kedir will moderate a panel on US #PV module manufacturing expansion resulting from the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. Visit the event website to purchase tickets: https://lnkd.in/eXmK32Tt

In the "2024 PV Module Index Report," RETC sought to better understand some of the unique field failure modes associated with ultra-large-format PV module designs. With that in mind, we interviewed a handful of industry subject matter experts, each of whom brings a unique perspective and area of expertise to the table. By questioning these many authorities—on glass manufacturing, module durability, field forensics, tracker structures, and hail-impact characterization—and sharing those conversations, we hope to empower industry stakeholders to eliminate a potential technical barrier to solar market advancement. In this article, "Solar Glass Durability & Failure Modes," we present our interview with?Teresa Barnes, the principal investigator and director of the?National Renewable Energy Laboratory's DuraMat Consortium for module materials research. https://lnkd.in/gJJDZNDq

The final RE+ edition of RETC's 2024?PV Module Index Report?(PVMI) is available now!?This final release captures the results of all outstanding?testing sequences—and recognizes 14 "Overall Highest Achievers." To achieve RETC’s top honor, module companies had to meet our high achievement criteria in three disciplines: module reliability, performance, and quality. In other words, “Overall Highest Achiever” status effectively indicates that RETC recognizes these companies for “High Achievement in Reliability,” “High Achievement in Performance,” and “High Achievement in Quality.” Based on a thorough review of these data and results, we have identified 14 manufacturers that met our rigorous?2024 PV Module Index Report?criteria for our “Overall Highest Achiever” recognition. As compared to the preliminary SNEC edition of the report, this final list includes five additional module companies:?GEP VN, JinkoSolar, Talesun, VSUN, and Waaree. Download the final PVMI report here: https://retc-ca.com/pvmi

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Congratulations, Trinasolar! Available now, Vertex N hail-resistant PV module. Tested at RETC with financial exposure modeling by VDE Americas