Systematic causes of problems in operation of PV systems

Abstract

All industries have sometimes quality issues with their products, and photovoltaics (PV) are no different. A major difference is that problems with the operation of photovoltaic systems are often treated confidentially and, unlike other industries, no general recalls are issued as they are common in automotive or telecommunication industry. This does, however, not mean that no issues exist. The PV industry is unfortunately still at a stage where quality assurance is often seen as an avoidable cost. There are three problems discussed which could have avoided problems (1) Equating IEC certification with quality control, (2) No relevant component tests, (3) Cost driven supply chain management. In here we present a generalized Quality Assurance (QA) scheme as a feasible approach for the PV industry and brought into context to more developed industries. Most examples will be for PV modules within this contribution but are not limited to those. However, the quality assurance must consider the final product, in the case this must always refer to the PV system at a particular location as a whole not just individual parts or design stages.