(TÜV Rheinland PTL: Tempe, AZ) -- Figures from 13 years of solar technology testing—including the top three quality failures and strongest influences of new manufacturers on module design—show some photovoltaic (PV) modules required a tune-up to pass international qualification standards.

Govindasamy Tamizhmani, president of TÜV Rheinland PTL LLC, North America’s largest solar photovoltaic testing center, will discuss the results of qualification tests on 3,700 photovoltaic modules at this week’s Department of Energy “PV Module Reliability Workshop” in Golden, Colorado. Tamizhmani will present his paper, “Experience with Qualification and Safety Testing of Photovoltaic Modules,” on Friday, Feb. 19 at 8:50 a.m. at the Denver West Marriott.

TÜV Rheinland PTL identified the failure rates of PV modules during qualification tests for IEC 61215 (crystalline silicon) and IEC 6146 (thin-film)—both international certifications for solar technology quality. Results from the intensive analysis showed that new manufacturers influenced the overall quality of PV module design and inspired evolutionary leaps in the technology design.

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