Kiwa PVEL Updates Module Testing Programme, Aims to Tackle Glass Breakage, Frame Failures and Hail Damage

Why It Matters

The enhanced testing regime gives manufacturers clearer reliability data, helping mitigate costly breakage and hail damage that threaten project profitability. Investors and developers gain more confidence in module durability, supporting continued growth of utility‑scale solar.

Key Takeaways

• Added test‑to‑failure protocols for static load and hail testing
• New hail test evaluates five modules per round, targeting edges and corners
• Full‑spectrum light soaking and damp‑heat added for n‑type modules
• LID sample size cut from 17 to 10 modules, low degradation
• 83% of manufacturers had a test failure in 2025, up from 66%

Pulse Analysis

The solar‑module market is confronting a reliability challenge as manufacturers push for larger, thinner panels to boost energy yield per square meter. While these designs improve efficiency, they also increase susceptibility to spontaneous glass breakage, frame stress, and hail impact. Kiwa PVEL’s updated Production Qualification Program reflects this shift, introducing test‑to‑failure (TTF) methods that push modules to their mechanical limits. By measuring the absolute load a panel can survive, the new protocol delivers statistically robust data that better mirrors real‑world stresses, giving OEMs a clearer path to engineering more resilient products.

A key innovation is the revamped hail‑damage test, which now subjects five modules per batch to targeted impacts on edges, corners and junction‑box regions—areas historically prone to failure. Coupled with full‑spectrum light soaking and damp‑heat exposure for emerging n‑type technologies, the program broadens its coverage of degradation pathways. Reducing the light‑induced degradation (LID) sample size from 17 to 10 modules acknowledges the industry’s recent trend of consistently low LID values, streamlining testing without sacrificing insight. These refinements arrive as the 2025 Kiwa PVEL Module Reliability Scorecard recorded an 83% failure incidence among manufacturers, a stark rise from 66% the previous year, underscoring the urgency of more rigorous validation.

For investors, developers, and insurers, the implications are significant. Hail damage alone accounts for roughly 73% of financial losses in U.S. PV projects despite representing only 6% of incident counts, highlighting a disproportionate risk. By delivering more granular failure data, Kiwa PVEL enables stakeholders to select modules with proven resilience, potentially lowering warranty claims and insurance premiums. As the industry continues to scale, such robust testing standards will be pivotal in sustaining confidence and driving the next wave of solar deployment.