Collaboration aims to optimize accelerated testing protocols for c-Si solar panels

GENEVA, April 16, 2019 - DuPont Electronics & Imaging's Photovoltaic Solutions business announced it has entered into a collaboration agreement with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, a leading institute for applied scientific and engineering research and development in solar energy, to optimize accelerated testing protocols for crystalline silicon solar panels.

Fraunhofer ISE tests and certifies PV modules according to IEC 61215 and IEC 61646.
The test equipment includes a climatic chamber for combined exposure to UV radiation and damp heat. PV modules are weathered and tested with UV radiation, humidity and elevated temperatures. ©

Fraunhofer ISE
Fraunhofer ISE will validate and accelerate solar panel sequential testing methods developed by DuPont, to enable service life estimation calculations. The tests aim to address the most common types of panel degradation observed in the field at the backsheet level, by type of material used.
Commenting on the agreement, Kaushik Roy Choudhury, Ph.D., Global Reliability Manager, DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions said: "We are pleased to be working alongside the scientists at Fraunhofer ISE to help validate our set of accelerated tests. Studying how panels age in the field under multiple environmental stresses is critical for customers and future development of materials."

The proposed tests will be based on DuPont's Module Accelerated Sequential Testing protocols, whereby solar panels are subjected to several sequences that combine damp heat, UV and thermal cycling to generate accelerated test conditions aligned with realistic stresses experienced in the field.
Karl-Anders Weiss, Ph.D., Project Manager, Fraunhofer ISE said: "The aim of this work is to determine whether the proposed accelerated testing protocols can accurately predict service lifetime of solar panels made with different types of materials. Our intent is to move from the current IEC standards which are limited to predicting early stage failure mechanisms, to a longer-term view of panel aging in the field."

As part of this collaboration, the testing protocols will be refined by Fraunhofer ISE to enable a simpler and faster recipe that could help to resolve one of the biggest challenges of the photovoltaic industry.

About Fraunhofer ISE
With a staff of 1,200, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg, Germany, is the largest solar energy research institute in Europe. Fraunhofer ISE is committed to promoting sustainable, economic, safe and socially just energy supply systems based on renewable energies. Its research provides the technological foundations for supplying energy efficiently and on an environmentally sound basis in industrialized, threshold and developing countries throughout the world. Focusing on energy efficiency, energy conversion, energy distribution and energy storage, the Institute develops materials, components, systems and processes in five business areas. One particular feature of Fraunhofer ISE is its excellent technical infrastructure, which is organized into eight laboratory centers and four technology evaluation centers providing testing and experimental services on a production scale. In addition, the Institute has several accredited testing facilities. The Institute is a member of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Europe's largest application-oriented research organization. For more information, visit us at www.ise.fraunhofer.de.

About DuPont Electronics & Imaging
DuPont Electronics & Imaging is a global supplier of materials and technologies serving the semiconductor, advanced chip packaging, circuit board, electronic and industrial finishing, photovoltaic, display, and digital and flexographic printing industries. From advanced technology centers worldwide, teams of talented research scientists and application experts work closely with customers, providing solutions, products and technical service to enable next-generation technologies.

About DowDuPont Specialty Products Division
DowDuPont Specialty Products, a division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), is a global innovation leader with technology-based materials, ingredients and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life. Our employees apply diverse science and expertise to help customers advance their best ideas and deliver essential innovations in key markets including electronics, transportation, building and construction, health and wellness, food and worker safety. DowDuPont intends to separate the Specialty Products Division, which will be called DuPont, into an independent, publicly traded company. More information can be found at www.dow-dupont.com.