Bankability Testing

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CFV Labs 40 Year PV Module Reliability Testing Program

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  • PV Module reliability testing horizons need to correlate with financial modeling assumptions.

  • CFV Labs has developed a comprehensive 40 year bankability testing program based on IEC 63209 with technology specific customization.

  • Includes tests for material durability, cell degradation, mechanical durability and performance testing.

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CFV Labs Hail Testing

  • CFV Labs has the capability to test PV modules for hail damage susceptibility with ice balls ranging from 25mm-75mm.

  • IEC 61215 MQT 17 is a sound test for exploring catastrophic hail damage to modules involving glass breakage.

  • Other test methods are required to examine module susceptibility to cell cracking caused by hail.

  • New standards development activity for hail is ongoing in the IEC and CFV is participating.

     

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CFV Labs PV Module Module Backsheet Testing

  • CFV Labs has tested both older and newer backsheets to the new IEC TS 63209 backsheet testing protocol.

  • We find that both older and newer backsheets can fail this test.

  • Module construction is important, not just backsheet material.

  • Ongoing testing at CFV is pushing the expected horizon of backsheet tests out to 40 years.
     

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CFV PV Module Bankability Program

  • Comprehensive bankability testing program based on IEC 63209 with technology specific customization.

  • Includes tests for material durability, cell degradation, mechanical durability and performance testing.

  • Third party BOM verification and build witness. 

  • Report sharing with investors and IEs. 

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Cell Degradation Testing

  • Both LID and LeTID can be problems with newer technology modules, especially modules made from PERC cells.

  • LID and LeTID operate via different mechaninsms and on different time scales and and may actually overlap, making disentangling the effects problematic.

  • CFV has a protocol designed to isolate and quantify each effect to the extent possible.

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Mechanical Durability Testing

  • CFV specializes in sophisticated mechanical load testing protocols.

  • The protocols test for catasrophic module damage under wind and snow loads and also for module susceptibilty to cell cracking.

  • Newer modules with thinner frames, end clamped modules and center clamped modules on single-axis-trackers need to be carefully evaluated. 

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