Photovoltaic Module Qualification Plus Testing

Reliability is a critical element in the continued growth of the photovoltaic (PV) industry. Design qualification tests such as IEC 61215 and IEC 61646 have been key to mitigating infant mortality, but do not address many of the module failures now observed in the field. Qualification Plus has been created to fill an immediate need by providing a well-defined set of accelerated stress tests that correlate with the field performance of PV modules. The tests in Qualification Plus include module-level tests like those in the qualification test sequences, as well as material and component level tests like those in the module safety standard. This paper will describe the details of Qualification Plus including the rationale for the required tests, the selection of samples, and the requirements for the Quality Management System.