New hail test aims to more accurately measure solar panel resilience
A new test curve for determining solar panels’ breaking point from hail uses a broader spectrum of impact energies and testing products.
Confused about PV connectors? Words matter
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Sandia National Labs have created a new nomenclature for PV connectors to reduce confusion amongst installers and developers, while improving deployment practices. They catalogued a sampling of twenty-five commercially available 4 mm connectors.
What can be learned from grid-scale battery fires?
Battery fires, while a rare occurrence given the number of lithium-ion batteries manufactured and deployed each year, are common enough to worry insurers and others in the industry. Following high-profile battery fires in 2024 and 2025, the industry is busy implementing solutions not only to reduce the risk of fire breaking out in the first place, but to contain and mitigate the risk of injury or damage should it happen. Conclusions from large-scale fire testing will be key.
Field tested hurricane survival strategies for solar
RMI has released Solar Under Storm III, analyzing solar power facilities in the hurricane-prone Caribbean and reviewing past storm impacts to identify six major failure modes and ten risk-mitigation specifications.
How long do residential solar inverters last?
Multiple factors affect the productive lifespan of a residential solar system. In Part 2 of our series, we look at solar inverters.
How long do residential solar panels last?
Several factors affect the productive lifespan of a residential solar panel. In the first part of a series, we look at the solar panels themselves.
How to mitigate solar glass breakage
Solar modules are getting bigger, thinner, and more powerful. But from Texas to Thailand, the same problem is appearing: broken glass. Not from hail or mishandling, but from cracks that spider from frame edges, splinter near clamps, and web across modules. In cases seen by Jörg Althaus, director of engineering and quality assurance at Clean Energy Associates (CEA), it starts with a few panels – then dozens, hundreds, even thousands.
PV Hardware designs solar trackers for resilience in extreme weather
The solar tracker provider provided a case study on performance in Florida and the U.S. Midwest.
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.
