Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE
Assessment of Defects
A risk rating of module defects under consideration of the further development helps to increase the trust in the power plant yield for investors and banks involved. Furthermore, the knowledge of the root cause of a failure is an essential requirement to assess guarantee or insurance claims. By testing a selection of modules, the impact of the damage on the module and plant performance is evaluated. The module selection is based on empirical knowledge of Fraunhofer ISE. It is crucial to examine all degrees of severity of the failure in order to define a cost and time-efficient process.
As an example, to evaluate the risk that a power plant will show yield losses due to potential-induced degradation (PID), the modules’ PID sensitivity as well as recovery behavior are examined in detail. Both can be monitored via measuring dark I-V characteristics during accelerated test procedures.
Expert Reports
Our expert reports on module damages or failures address relevant questions from every perspective. Next to the scientific accuracy, we lay particular emphasis on summarizing all results and conclusions in an understandable manner, even for persons without scientific background. Based on our damage assessment, legal claims can be written. Our expert reports are often used as basis for the work of legal consultants.