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

August 6, 2025
A subsidiary of JinkoSolar has filed a lawsuit in Munich accusing LONGi Green Energy and several subsidiaries of infringing on a solar cell manufacturing patent.
August 5, 2025
China’s leading polysilicon firms are reportedly considering shutting down one third of the country’s polysilicon capacity and restructuring the sector, following years of overcapacity and tumbling prices.
August 4, 2025
US solar PV recycling firm, Solarcycle, has produced a pilot module using 50% recycled glass from other decommissioned panels, which it says matches the performance of entirely new products.
August 1, 2025
The Q3 edition of our downstream solar PV journal, PV Tech Power, is now available to download.
July 30, 2025
Donald Trump has announced a 25% tariff on all imports entering the US from India from the 1st August 2025.
July 29, 2025
US-based solar manufacturer T1 Energy has expressed support for the US government’s tariff investigations into global polysilicon imports and solar products from Laos, Indonesia and India.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines