RETC Announces 2021 PV Module Index Report
Renewable Energy Test Center, LLC (RETC), a leading independent test lab for photovoltaic and battery products, has published its annual PV Module Index (PVMI) Report. The 2021 PVMI Report utilizes independent test lab data to recognize high performers and showcase high achievement in PV module manufacturing.
RETC presents its 2021 PVMI Report not only as a means of showcasing industry-leading technologies and manufacturers but also to empower project stakeholders to make informed, data-driven decisions based on project- and location-specific variables. The report consolidates RETC’s independent test data to share relevant performance distribution data in three essential categories: reliability, quality, and performance indicators.
“As RETC prepares to publish its third annual PVMI Report, it occurs to me that my colleagues and I occupy a unique position in the solar industry. As an independent testing laboratory with the highest level of accreditation, RETC tests products that are going to be introduced in the future,” commented Cherif Kedir, Chief Executive Officer of RETC. “Since these next-generation products have limited in-field exposure, RETC’s testing effectively provides us with a sneak preview of what is to come. Collectively, we use this data to build better products and design better systems. Arguably, this work has never been more important or essential."
RETC recorded all of its published data related to reliability, performance, and quality at its testing facilities during the 2020 calendar year. This year’s PVMI Report features additional perspectives from across the industry representing downstream manufacturers, independent engineers, insurance underwriters, and more.
Highlights from the PVMI report include:
Recognition of 11 different manufacturers showcasing 34 instances of high achievement in manufacturing
Manufacturers recognized for high product quality demonstrated by achieving power degradation of less than 2% for a given test across the greatest number of discrete accelerated aging tests
An insurance perspective on data-driven bankability analyses for solar assets
An evaluation of lowering costs, improving performance, and increasing the speed of deployment which are essential to the solar industry’s ability to compete with fossil fuel power sources
The percentage of top-performing modules decreased by roughly 20% while the percentage of modules with greater than 4.5% power loss increased by nearly 4% in PID testing
The 2021 PV Module Index report is free to download at https://retc-ca.com/pvmi.
About RETC
RETC is a leading independent test lab for photovoltaic and battery products. Since 2009, downstream manufacturers, developers, independent engineers, and financiers have trusted RETC to test and vet their modules, inverters, energy storage systems, and racking products. Only the latest testing standards and industry-accepted methods of vetting products are used at RETC. Headquartered in Fremont, CA., RETC is united by the belief in enabling a safer and more sustainable future.
Learn more: https://retc-ca.com/
For more information, please contact:
Renewable Energy Test Center, LLC (RETC)
Steffi Lin
Head of Marketing
media@retc-ca.com
+1 510-226-1635
