Manufacturers of PV modules guarantee minimum performance for 20 to 30 years. Early failure issues (“infant mortality”) resulting from design flaws, materials or processing issues can be discovered by design qualification and approval tests such as IEC 61215 and 61646.
The Atlas 25plus durability test program aims at learning in a short time about the end-of-life failures and performance losses of PV modules. This is the result of gradual accumulated damage resulting from long-term outdoor exposure in harsh environments, referred to as “weathering”.
