John Wohlgemuth plenary: International PV QA Task Force’s Proposed Comparative Rating System for PV Modules

The International PV Quality Assurance Task Force is developing a rating system that provides comparative information about the relative durability of PV modules. Development of accelerated stress tests that can provide such comparative information is seen as a major step toward being able to predict PV module service life.

In this plenary session, John Wohlgemuth of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (USA) provides details of the ongoing effort to determine the format of such an overall module rating system. The latest proposal is based on using three distinct climate zones as defined in IEC 60721-2-1 for two different mounting systems. Specific stresses beyond those used in the qualification tests are being developed for each of the selected climate zones.

John Wohlgemuth joined the National Renewable Energy Laboratory as Principal Scientist in PV Reliability in 2010. He is responsible for establishing and conducting research programs to improve the reliability and safety of PV modules. Before joining NREL, he worked at Solarex/BP Solar for more than 30 years. Wohlgemuth has been the convenor of working group 2, the module working group within IEC TC-82, for more than 10 years.