Connector failure accounts for loss of 58% of revenue in commercial solar portfolios
A report from HelioVolta finds connector issues in four out of five solar projects in the United States and details what can be done from procurement to field inspections to minimize risk.
Top solar modules in reliability, quality and performance testing
Solar modules are evaluated in the Renewable Energy Test Center annual PV Module Index.
Solar risks: Hail, AI error, wildfire, and more
Hail damage remains a top risk to large-scale solar assets, according to an annual report from kWh Analytics.
Module reliability scorecard reveals widespread quality risk
Independent testing laboratory Kiwa-PVEL today published the 11th edition of its PV Module Reliability Scorecard, having extensively tested PV modules from 50 different manufacturers.
National battery fire standards being pushed for consideration
The American Clean Power Association is pushing for greater safety standardization in the energy storage industry, guided by the National Fire Protection Association, and their under development NFPA 855 standard.
Long-term issues found in warehoused solar panels
Clean Energy Associates (CEA) is receiving more calls from solar developers concerned about warehouse panel damage. CEA senior engineering manager Claire Kearns-McCoy explains how improper handling, stacking, and storage conditions can lead to long-term issues.
U.S. solar facilities lost $5,720 per MW to equipment underperformance in 2024
A report from Raptor Maps said solar power losses from equipment failures, extreme weather damage and more contributed to losses.
UL Solutions expands testing for heat pumps
UL Solutions says it will expand heat pump testing at its facilities in Texas and Italy to meet rising demand in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) industry.
Incidents similar to Moss Landing battery fire are unlikely but stricter regulations proposed
Battery safety has come a long way since the construction of the 300 MW first phase of Vistra Energy’s Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility in California, which caught fire on January 16. The vast majority of today’s large-scale battery energy storage systems does not have much in common with the affected project deployed in a former turbine hall.
Fraunhofer ISE warns of risk from higher than expected UV-induced degradation in TOPCon, PERC, HJT cells
The researchers of the German institute explained that UV-induced degradation may cause larger than expected efficiency and voltage losses in all dominant cell technologies, including TOPCon devices. The scientists expect that silicon nitride layers could be used to enhance TOPCon UV stability compared to PECVD layers typically utilized in PERC and heterojunction cells.
