LONG-TERM STUDY OF KYOCERA SOLAR MODULES AT EUROPE'S LARGEST SOLAR RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN FREIBURG, GERMANY TURNS TEN

Even after ten years in constant operation, the installation at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) is still highly efficient, with output degradation of just 5 percent.

11 February 2014

Kyoto / Neuss − For ten years, a test system using Kyocera solar modules that is equipped with high-precision measuring equipment has been in operation at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), Europe’s largest solar research institute. Researchers regularly analyze operating data and check the output of random modules annually in Fraunhofer ISE’s test lab. Even after ten years in constant operation, the Kyocera KC 125G modules* still deliver excellent results, with the independent Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy having measured and confirmed an output degradation of just five percent.

“The low output degradation of five percent over the past ten years is evidence of the excellent quality of Kyocera solar modules. We are already eager to see the measurements following the next period. In the past five years, we have measured stable efficiency in the lab as well as the field, so we expect the result to be just as good in terms of quality,” said Anselm Kröger-Vodde, Project Manager for Photovoltaic Modules, Systems and Reliability at Fraunhofer ISE.

Kyocera is one of the few companies on the market to maintain a vertically integrated production system. This system allows full monitoring of product quality at each step which helps ensure the performance of every cell and solar module over an extended period of time.

Kyocera is also one of the few makers of solar modules on the market to possess such long-term studies of its products under real-life conditions. A similar test system is located at Sakura, Japan and has been in operation for almost 30 years. The most recent measurements, taken five years ago, revealed a degradation of just 9.6 percent. With such real-world data to stand on, Kyocera is confident in offering its customers a 25-year guarantee of 80 percent of nominal output.

* The 2.25-kWp PV system consists of 18 Kyocera KC125G modules and an SMA SunnyBoy 2100TL inverter. The modules are installed at an alignment of 0° and a tilt of 29°.

 
For more information about Kyocera: www.kyocerasolar.eu

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