The report highlights areas where quality is improving, while focusing on the increase in test failures
NAPA, Calif., May 27, 2026 -- Kiwa PVEL, the independent lab for reliability and performance testing of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, today announced the publication of its 12th annual PV Module Reliability Scorecard. The digital resource is designed for solar industry stakeholders to access testing insights gained from the company's flagship Product Qualification Program (PQP). The PQP, a comprehensive suite of extended reliability and performance tests, helps evaluate solar modules under a wide range of environmental and mechanical conditions.
New for 2026, Ultraviolet Induced Degradation (UVID) has been included as a Top Performer category, along with the previous test categories: Thermal Cycling (TC); Damp Heat (DH); Mechanical Stress Sequence (MSS); Hail Stress Sequence (HSS); Potential Induced Degradation (PID); Light [and Elevated Temperature] Induced Degradation (LID+LETID); and PAN Performance (PAN).
In the 12th edition, Kiwa PVEL names a total of 43 manufacturers as "Top Performers" in one or more of the tests, although for the first time, no single model achieved Top Performer status across all tests.
"Our 2026 Scorecard reflects a market that is advancing in performance while facing growing reliability pressures," said Tristan Erion-Lorico, Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Kiwa PVEL. "We're seeing reductions in power loss for some tests and increased energy yields in our PAN testing. At the same time, failure rates, particularly delamination and mechanical breakage, have reached new highs. These results underscore that innovation and cost cutting measures must be matched with consistent quality and robust design to ensure long-term field reliability in an increasingly cost-conscious industry."
Key highlights from the 2026 Scorecard include:
- Some degradation decreased, but failures increased: Power loss reduced across some key tests (UVID, PID, TC and DH), yet overall failure rates hit record highs with 87% of manufacturers and 61% of BOMs experiencing at least one failure.
- New Top Performers: the annual list of Top Performer manufacturers is increasingly dynamic, with 13 first time Top Performers and some previous Top Performers notably missing from this year's list.
- No single leader across all metrics: While many manufacturers achieved Top Performer status, no single model met the Top Performer threshold in every test.
- Failure types shifting and intensifying: Module breakage (especially in MSS and HSS) remains the top issue, but delamination surged significantly with 45% of manufacturers having at least one major delamination defect.
- Design and material trade-offs matter: Cost and efficiency optimizations (e.g., thinner encapsulants, zero-busbar designs, thinner frames) are linked to higher degradation or failure risk, highlighting the importance of balancing quality and design.
- Performance gains continue: Energy yields once again increased due to higher bifacialities and improved temperature coefficients, but LID degradation worsened slightly, likely due to the increase in new cell factories.
Available online the 2026 PV Module Reliability Scorecard features a free Top Performer search tool, where users can get detailed results by manufacturer, module type, and test category, as well as export the list of Top Performers for further analysis.
"Amid growing complexity across the global energy landscape, we're pleased to unveil this year's list of Top Performers," said Kevin Gibson, Managing Director of Kiwa PVEL. "While we're seeing continued improvements in performance and energy yield, the rise in failure rates highlights the importance of independent, data-driven validation. In a market defined by rapid innovation and cost pressures, these insights help stakeholders better assess risk, differentiate quality, and make more confident long-term investment decisions."
To be eligible for the 2026 Scorecard, manufacturers must have completed the PQP sample production factory witness after November 1, 2024; submitted at least two factory-witnessed PV module samples to all PQP reliability tests, as per Kiwa PVEL's BOM Test Requirements; and have new Top Performer results that were not included in the 2025 Scorecard.
New this year, an updated edition of the Scorecard will be released in November 2026.
Visit the Scorecard online at scorecard.pvel.com.
About Kiwa PVEL
Kiwa PVEL is the leading reliability and performance testing lab for downstream solar project developers, financiers, and asset owners around the world. As part of the larger Kiwa Group, Kiwa PVEL's integrated services for the solar supply chain offer technical solutions for mitigating risk, optimizing financing and improving solar and energy storage systems performance throughout the project lifecycle.
For over a decade, Kiwa PVEL's Product Qualification Program (PQP) has been globally recognized for replacing assumptions about PV module performance with quantifiable metrics. Related data and consulting services offered by Kiwa PVEL provide vital procurement intelligence to a network of downstream solar buyers. Visit kiwa.com/pvel and kiwa.com/solar to learn more.
Contact
Ashley Fallon
Head of Marketing
ashley.fallon@kiwa.com
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