DuPont and Fraunhofer ISE look to unseat existing degradation testing methods

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The goal is to replicate field degradation more accurately in accelerated lab tests. Source: DuPont.

DuPont and Fraunhofer ISE will work together to validate a new set of accelerated testing methods for solar module degradation.

Fraunhofer ISE will run the rule over DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions’ in-house testing practices and then look to refine them. The target is to develop a set of simpler tests to replicate the field degradation of a solar panel, which the pair describe in a statement as “one of the biggest challenges of the PV industry”.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

“The aim of this work is to determine whether the proposed accelerated testing protocols can accurately predict service lifetime of solar panels made with different types of materials,” said Dr. Karl-Anders Weiss, project manager, Fraunhofer ISE. “Our intent is to move from the current IEC standards which are limited to predicting early stage failure mechanisms, to a longer-term view of panel ageing in the field.”

The starting point for the new procedures is DuPont’s Module Accelerated Sequential Testing protocol. It subjects modules to repeated phases of damp heat, UV and thermal cycling to replicate the rigours of field operations.

Dr. Kaushik Roy Choudhury, Global Reliability Manager, DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions said: “We are pleased to be working alongside the scientists at Fraunhofer ISE, to help validate our set of accelerated tests. Studying how panels age in the field under multiple environmental stresses is critical for customers and future development of materials.”

Last year DuPont and Envision began a partnership using the latter’s IoT platform to monitor module performance and degradation patterns.

7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

June 26, 2025
A group of minority shareholders in Norwegian silicon firm REC Silicon has triggered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the closure of the company’s US polysilicon production site.
June 24, 2025
Chinese solar manufacturing giant LONGi has signed an agreement with Indonesia’s Pertamina New & Renewable Energy to build a 1.4GW module assembly plant in West Java, Indonesia.
June 24, 2025
The Chinese polysilicon industry could face a shortage by 2028, despite persistent overcapacity in recent years, according to polysilicon market analyst Bernreuter Research.
June 18, 2025
The US Senate Finance Committee draft bill is a “stake in the heart” of US solar manufacturing, according to Democrat senator, Ron Wyden.
June 17, 2025
New solar manufacturing facilities show higher rates of product defects, PV Tech has heard from Joerg Althaus of Clean Energy Associates.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Webinars
June 30, 2025
10am PST / 6pm BST
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
July 2, 2025
Bangkok, Thailand
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico