Featured in Building resilience – 04-2026

Module quality on the edge

Module manufacturers have struggled for more than two years with oversupply and prices often falling below production cost. Cost-cutting measures – such as reduced encapsulant thickness, thinner glass and thinner frames – can have widespread impacts on initial module quality and long-term performance. Recent test results for commercial products are raising concern.
Kiwa PVEL UV test chamber
A Kiwa PVEL engineer stands in front of the UVID test chamber | Image: Kiwa PVEL

There are many ways for a PV module to degrade. Scientists at Australia’s University of New South Wales (UNSW) analyzed existing performance data from more than 11,000 PV modules and systems for a study published in January 2026 in IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics. Their findings outline three main pathways that lead to severe module degradation: …

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