Three decades, three climates: environmental and material impacts on the long-term reliability of photovoltaic modules

Ebrar Özkalay; Hugo Quest; Anika Gassner; Alessandro Virtuani; Gabriele C. Eder; Stefanie Vorstoffel; Claudia Buerhop‐Lutz; Gabi Friesen; Christophe Ballif; Matthias Burri; Christof Bucher

doi:10.1039/d4el00040d

January 1, 2025EES solar.Open Access

Three decades, three climates: environmental and material impacts on the long-term reliability of photovoltaic modules

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Key Points

Assess the 30-year operational reliability and degradation of photovoltaic modules across different climates and bill-of-materials configurations.
Analyzed over 30 years of outdoor system performance data from photovoltaic modules installed in Switzerland during the early 1990s.
Conducted indoor module-level testing to evaluate degradation mechanics against bill of materials and operating temperature conditions.
Early 1990s photovoltaic modules demonstrated sustained operational reliability over more than three decades in the field.
Lower operating temperatures and specific bill-of-materials selections significantly minimized long-term module degradation rates.

Implication

Longitudinal field study reveals high 30-year durability in early photovoltaic modules, highlighting the protective role of cooler operating temperatures and material selection.

Abstract

This study analyses 30+ years of PV performance in Switzerland, highlighting the reliability of early 90s modules. It examines outdoor system- and indoor module-level data, emphasising the importance of BOM and the benefits of lower temperatures.

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Cite This Study

Özkalay et al. (2025) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a771198137c7dcc81bd96ed https://doi.org/10.1039/d4el00040d

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Three decades, three climates: environmental and material impacts on the long-term reliability of photovoltaic modules

Key Points

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

Three decades, three climates: environmental and material impacts on the long-term reliability of photovoltaic modules

Key Points

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

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