Extending the lifetime of crystalline silicon PV modules (EUPI-PV Partnership)

By the end of the project, results should contribute to:

• Reduced degradation rates, enabling PV module lifetimes significantly beyond the current 25-year baseline with <0.8% annual degradation.

• Increased overall module and system durability and reliability through validated defect detection and mitigation techniques.

• Enhanced resource efficiency and lifetime energy yield of PV installations via accurate lifetime estimation and proactive maintenance strategies.

• Decreased levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) for PV systems through extended service life and lower operational costs.

• Direct support to the execution of the Solar Energy Joint Research and Innovation Agenda (ERA) and achievement of EUPI-PV KPIs.

Proposals must:

• Target recently developed high‐efficiency or novel crystalline silicon PV modules and their components, addressing known and emerging defect and failure modes.

• Conduct thorough failure mode and root‐cause analyses, assessing each component’s susceptibility and cascade effects on other PV system elements.

• Develop or adapt simple, cost‐effective, accurate defect detection methodologies (including AI‐enabled solutions) deployable at scale on existing PV modules and systems.

• Propose mitigation strategies at both the module and system level, and validate these through predictive modelling (including AI‐driven models) and controlled laboratory testing to demonstrate reliability improvements.

• Plan and carry out outdoor field testing in at least three distinct European climate zones to quantify degradation rates, identify in‐service defects, and refine lifetime estimations.

• Align with and contribute to the Solar Energy Joint Research and Innovation Agenda (ERA) and EUPI‐PV roadmap.

• Include a consortium with relevant multidisciplinary expertise (materials science, PV engineering, AI/data analytics, outdoor testing), and demonstrate access to the necessary test facilities and field sites.