Only solar manufacturer to be named as a “Top Performer” across all
tests in both editions of the Scorecard
KYOTO, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kyocera has been recognized as a “top performer” across all test
categories for its solar modules by DNV
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GL (formerly PV Evolution Labs), an international provider of
independent expert advisory and certification services, in its 2016
PV Module Reliability Scorecard released this month in
collaboration with GTM
Research.
Amid the dramatic increase in both business and residential solar
installations over the past five years, DNV GL created its third-party
Scorecard to provide insights into the expected reliability of various
brands of solar modules by subjecting them to unparalleled technical
comparisons. Kyocera is the only manufacturer to appear as a “top
performer” in all categories of both the 2014 and 2016 PV Module
Reliability Scorecards, the only two published to date.
The five test categories in the 2016 Scorecard cover each of the major
sources of performance degradation over the lifespan of a solar module —
repeated Thermal Cycling, Dynamic Mechanical Load stress,
Humidity-Freeze conditions, Damp Heat exposure, and Potential-Induced
Degradation. The number of manufacturers participating in each testing
category ranged between 17 and 22.
With the recent solar boom, 85% of the world’s total installed solar
capacity has been in the field for less than five years, according to
GTM Research. This makes assessing long-term performance and reliability
difficult for users. Additionally, the influx of new industry players
means that many of today’s producers have been manufacturing solar
panels for fewer than 10 years, even those offering 25-year warranties.
These factors underscore the need for an independent, third-party source
of performance and reliability data.
“Kyocera is one of the only companies in the world with more than 40
years of experience in researching, developing and manufacturing solar
modules,” said Hitoshi Atari, President of Kyocera Solar Inc. “The
industry-leading reliability of Kyocera modules is documented not only
by third-party testing, but by the real-world performance of Kyocera
modules operating in the field continuously for decades.”
DNV GL specifically designed its tests to surpass traditional
methodologies represented by the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) 61215 and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 1703 tests.
While the IEC
tests provide a minimum baseline assessment and the UL
tests address product safety, DNV GL’s Scorecard incorporates other
stringent protocols to replicate real-world operating conditions over
time, while measuring the relative degradation in power output among the
various brands of solar modules.
“Solar continues to grow in popularity, but it’s crucial to select
equipment that performs successfully over the long term,” said Jenya
Meydbray, Vice President of Strategy and Development at DNV GL.
“Developing an understanding of how modules perform as they age in the
field will highlight technology risks and enable the implementation of
an effective procurement quality assurance strategy.”
Kyocera PV modules have demonstrated outstanding reliability by other
metrics as well:
2014: Kyocera PV modules pass TUV
Rheinland’s rigorous Salt Mist Corrosion Tests.
2012: Kyocera modules are certified PID (Potential Induced
Degradation) resistant, exhibiting no performance degradation after
high-voltage stress testing by the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon
Photovoltaics.
2010: Kyocera modules are first in the world to be certified by TUV
Rheinland’s Long-Term Sequential Test.
To learn more about Kyocera Solar solutions for both residential and
commercial projects, please contact infosolar@kyocera.com
or 800-223-9580.
About KYOCERA
Kyocera is among the world’s leading producers of photovoltaic modules
and systems, with a 41-year history of innovation in solar technology.
The company is recognized as an industry pioneer with repeated world
records in multicrystalline silicon cell efficiency.
Solar, Inc. is headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., with regional
sales affiliates in the Americas and solar module manufacturing
facilities operated by Kyocera Mexicana, S.A. de C.V. of Tijuana, Mexico.
Corporation (NYSE:KYO) (TOKYO:6971), the parent and global
headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of
advanced ceramics. The company specializes in combining these engineered
materials with other technologies to create solar power generating
systems, printers, copiers, mobile phones, electronic components,
semiconductor packages, cutting tools and industrial components. During
the year ended March 31, 2015, Kyocera’s net sales totaled 1.53 trillion
yen (approx. USD12.7 billion). Kyocera appears on the latest listing of
the “Top 100 Global Innovators” by Thomson Reuters, and is ranked #552
on Forbes magazine’s 2015 “Global 2000” listing of the world’s largest
publicly traded companies.