Green Reliability Seminar Webinar - Austin 2010 - Ops A La Carte, DfR Solutions, Polycom, Solar Bridge and Atlas - Webinar

&

We Provide You Confidence in Your Product ReliabilityTM
Ops A La Carte / (408) 654-0499 / askops@opsalacarte.com / www.opsalacarte.com

Welcome to our
Open House
and
Green Technology Reliability
Seminar

Green Technology Reliability Seminar
Program:
1:00 - Registration Begins
1:05 - Open House and Informal Tours
2:00 - Welcome and Introductions
2:05 - Quick Overview of DLi Labs, Ops A La Carte, and DfR Solutions
2:30 - "Reliability Challenges in the Green Revolution,"
Mike Silverman, Ops A La Carte Reliability Consultants, CA
3:00 - "Reliability in the Green Market of Videoconferencing,"
Nathan Reddy, Polycom, Austin TX
3:30 - Break (drinks/snacks) & Networking
3:45 - "Reliability Challenges for Solar Microinverters,"
Paul Parker, SolarBridge Technologies, Austin TX
4:15 - "Accelerated Environmental Stress Testing in the PV World,"
Dr. David Dumbleton, Atlas Material Testing Technologies, IL
4:45 - Panel Discussion: Silverman, Reddy, Parker, Dumbleton
5:45 - Closing Remarks
6:00 - More Food/Drinks & Networking

What is GREEN ????

PRESENTATION ON
Green Reliability
by
Mike Silverman, Managing Partner
Ops A La Carte LLC

GOING GREEN
Today, the topic of Green is discussed more and more.

Every day we hear about companies “Going Green".

But what does this really mean?

Green Reliability Page 4
© Ops A La Carte LLC 2010 November 19, 2012

GOING GREEN
The problem is there are no common definitions of what
“Green” is and if we treat it this way, then the “Green
Revolution” will come and go and there won’t have been
much of an impact on our environment.


GOING GREEN
Leading clean tech specialists Woody Clark1 and Thomas
Friedman2 agree that we need to start doing something
immediately and the govt needs to help.

Both are using global warming as one of their principle
scare tactics. Is global warming real? We won’t debate that
here but what is real is that energy consumption is going up
exponentially along with the growth of China and India and
other developing nations.
Both are saying that the US must take the lead!
1 Woodrow Clark, MA3, Ph.D., “Agile Energy Systems: global lessons from the California energy crisis” (2004),
“Qualitative Economics: toward a science of economics” (2008), and “Sustainable Communities” (2009)

2 Friedman, Thomas L “Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution – and How it Can Renew
America”


Developing Countries Are
Already in the GREEN Game

Solar Home Installation in rural Belize


TAKING CHARGE
Friedman criticized the Bush administration for not
reacting to 9/11 from an energy point of view. According to
Friedman, the US had a golden opportunity to reduce our
dependency on oil and we blew it.

Now we must take the lead with alternative energy
solutions. China and India are looking closely at us and
will likely follow. But we need to show leadership. The
wrong move now could be costly later on.

But what do we need to do and how do we do it?


GOING GREEN
We can come up with campaigns and marketing around
green. This is happening today.

In fact, we are being bombarded with new symbols and
slogans and pictures

You can hardly go to a website today without finding
claims such as “we are going green”


EPEAT
We can also come up with standards around green. The
govt did this with EPEAT.

Meets all 23 Meets all 23 Meets all 23
required required required
criteria criteria plus criteria plus
at least 50% at least 75%
of the of the
optional optional
criteria criteria

EPEAT evaluates electronic products in relation to 51 total
environmental criteria, identified in the Criteria Table below
and contained in IEEE 1680 -- 23 required criteria and 28
optional criteria. To qualify for registration as an EPEAT
product, the product must conform to all the required criteria.

EPEAT
EPEAT sets standards for:
• Reduction/elimination of environmentally sensitive
materials
• Materials selection
• Design for end of life
• Product life cycle extension
• Energy conservation
• End of life management
• Corporate performance
• Packaging


GREEN STANDARDS
Notice that there are no standards set for
Quality/Reliability. If the product fails
prematurely, they have means of disposing
of it but why not work on preventing it from
failing in the first place ?

Woody and Thomas never mention
reliability in their books. There is a big gap
and everyone in this room will be playing a
roll of filling that gap in the next 10-15 years.


GOING GREEN
"Going Green" has many implications, from the
materials being used to the type of energy being used
and the quantity being consumed.

And each aspect of "Going Green" has reliability
implications.

In fact, any time we change material properties or design
concepts, there are inherent reliability risks that need to
be addressed.


Industries Involved
Here is a partial list of the high tech industries involved
in the movement.

○ Solar ○ Water Purification
○ Wind ○ Telecommunications
○ Battery ○ Green Cooling
○ Nuclear (*) ○ Server Farms
○ Electric/Gas Meters ○ Electric Vehicles
○ Generators (methane) ○ Fuel Cell

* Some would argue that Nuclear is not part of clean tech

Which ones did I miss?


Importance of Reliability
Reliability is going to play an important role for
all of these industries because these industries
are trying to take the place of an incumbent –
must be as good or better

 Higher Reliability Demands
 Higher Availability Demands
 Higher Warranty Requirements
 New Materials/New Risks
 Pressure on reducing power


Reliability Techniques
Here is a partial list of the reliability techniques that will
be important with these new industries:

○ Assessment / Goal Setting / Gap Analysis
○ Competitive Analysis / Benchmarking
○ RoHS Conversion / Material Selection
○ Risk Analysis/FMEA
○ Reliability Modeling
○ Thermal Analysis
○ Derating Analysis
○ PM/Warranty Predictions
○ HALT/HASS
○ Reliability Demonstration Test / Accelerated Life Test


Reliability Risks in
Green Industries
Next, I will take you through some of these
green industries and show you some risks that
we have uncovered and some possible ways
around them.
○ Solar
○ Wind
○ Green Cooling
○ Electric/Gas Meters
○ Electric Vehicles
○ Generators (methane)
○ Fuel Cells

SOLAR


Major Factors Impacting
Solar Reliability
Solar Components
Panel
Inverters, Micro-inverters, Optimizers
Trackers (mostly for commercial today)
System / Installation


Panel Reliability Risks
Risks Consequences
Temperature Cycling Efficiency loss over time
Constant shadow Blind Spots, loss of efficiency
Humidity enters panel Corrosion
Poor soldering joints Early failures
Not Cleaning Loss of efficiency
Earthquake Breaking
Hail/Bad Weather Breaking
Walking on Breaking
Animals Damage to panels, wiring, etc.


Inverter Reliability Risks
(includes micro-inverters and optimizers)
Risks Consequences
Electronics degradation Won’t meet long life
ECap Failures Won’t meet long life
Solder Joints Won’t meet long life
Connectors Won’t meet long life
Sealing from environment Won’t meet long life
Lightning Early/Catastrophic Failure
Voltage Spikes from Grid Early/Catastrophic Failure
Wrong Phase Match Early/Catastrophic Failure
(controller failure)
Humidity and Dust Won’t meet long life


Tracker Reliability Risks

Risks Consequences
Mechanical Failures Lose efficiency
Wind Loading Break entire system


System Reliability Risks
Risks Consequences
Installation Failures
Screw/brackets/weather Blow off roof and break something
Faulty installation Risk of fire
Safety issues Systems now at 65V instead of 12V
Reqd Warranty (25 yrs) Pay for loss of power
Regulatory Issues Requires full certification (costly)


WIND

Wind Farms Residential


Wind Power Risks
Inverter Failures (similar to Solar Inverter)

Harmful to Birds

Unpleasant to look at

? What else ?


ELECTRIC/GAS Meters


Electric/Gas Meter Risks
Incorrect Reading

Tampering by user

More complexity means more failures

? What else ?


Generators (methane)

Capstone Turbine

Methane Generator Risks
Odor

Explosion

Clogging

? What else ?


Fuel Cells
Bloom Energy’s reversible fuel cell converts electricity into fuel
and then back into electricity, on demand. Through this system,
the company can provide a clean, reliable, and affordable source
of continuous power. Applications include storing excess
renewable electricity for later use and storing low cost electricity
and using the energy during periods of peak demand.


Fuel Cells Risks
Explosion (reaction runs very hot)

Mechanical heat exchangers wear out

Fuel cells wear out

? What else ?


Green Cooling

SynJet® fanless cooling
module cools a 15W heat
source with a 40C delta
T, in an LED lighting
application.
Cooling Leds Cooling Server Racks


Green Cooling Risks
Loss of lubricant/End of life failures

Fire inside cabinet

More complex means more chance of failure

? What else ?


Electric Vehicles


Electric Vehicle Risks
Battery Life

Range of battery gets worse over time

Power in reverse

Disposal of battery

? What else ?


Solar Vehicles


Solar Vehicle Risks
Cloudy day

Dirty panels

Fragile

? What else ?


Water Vehicles


Water Vehicle Risks

Range limitation

New technology

? What else ?


CONCLUSION
"Going Green" has many implications, from the
materials being used to the type of energy being
used and the quantity being consumed.

And each aspect of "Going Green" has reliability
implications.

For each new technology, we need to identify the
risks to quality, reliability, and safety and mitigate
these risks to stay ahead of the innovation curve.


CONTACT INFO

Mike Silverman
Ops A La Carte
Managing Partner
www.opsalacarte.com
mikes@opsalacarte.com
(408) 472-3889


Reliability in Green Market of
Video Conferencing
Nathan Reddy
June 8, 2010

11/19/2012 | Polycom Confidential 42

Discussion on

Polycom products – Greener Environment

Reliability Practices at Polycom

Q&A


Polycom - An Overview
Polycom provides the most life-like experience for
communication and remote meetings from anywhere to
anywhere, instantly through face-to-face meeting that include
hearing each other (audio), seeing each other (immersive
telepresence and video) and showing each other content.

Polycom makes meeting over distance just as productive as
being there. The products enable rapid and collaborative
decision-making, that shorten chains of communication to
meet both productivity and cost containment challenges.

As the market leader, Polycom is the only provider of
the ultimate high definition solution, using Polycom
UltimateHD™ technology through Voice over IP and Video
over IP products.

Polycom - An Overview contd.
Reduce your carbon footprint
- Increase in demand for products that support green technologies
- Air travel is the fastest contributor of CO2
- Telepresence is the new corporate initiative towards carbon neutrality
Reduce travel cost and save ‘green’
- High costs of travel - Increased profitability
- Positive employee work-life balance
Eliminate barriers created by distance
- Globally dispersed - Remote experts
- Increased productivity by about 30%*, reduces cycle time by about 35%*
Empower your teams to be more effective
- Instant Information access to critical data for timely decision making
- Ability to communicate to anyone, anywhere and through any communication
device
45
* based on 2007 IDC Survey
11/19/2012 | Polycom Confidential

Polycom Business Units - Products
Audio

Video

Wireless

NSD

Field use of Polycom Products
1. Education (Universities with distant learning)

2. Healthcare Industry (Doctors / Hospitals)

3. Defense (Homeland Security, Remote locations)

4. Commercial Applications

5. Special situations (SARS, H1N1, Volcanic eruptions, etc.,)


Discussion on



Q&A


Current Reliability Engineering Objectives
Involve various functions within Polycom, including Design &
Development Engineering to improve Product Reliability
 What are our design objectives? What is our warranty goal?
 What are the typical and corner case use conditions?

 Duty cycles, Stress factors, Validations, Vendor variations …..

To optimize inherent Product Reliability based on Technology
refresh cycles
Implement Design for Reliability approach
Establish Reliability targets for vendors, and to evaluate and
monitor on an ongoing basis


Design for Reliability Approach
Define Reliability Requirements based on the
 Expected customer usage and Review of field information
 Service plan and Vendor performances

Participate in Design Review
 Provide input to vendor / components selection
 Feedback from qualification of previous products (lessons learned)
 Compliance to derating guidelines

Perform Reliability Suite of test and evaluation activities
 Spec verification and robustness tests

Perform FMEA and/or FTA from/to a predetermined level
Establish Subassembly Reliability targets and review of
supplier qualification and ongoing supplier control

Periodic Reliability Assessment
Through evaluation of customer usage patterns
 Power-on hours (log on/off and standby times)
 Tracking of serialized finished device and removed /returned items

From Periodic field return rate
 By business units and specific products
 By Manufacturing and field locations
 By time periods

From Burn-in, DMT and ORT activities

From Vendor Reliability Reports


Reliability Suite of Tests

Spec Verification Tests Robustness Evaluation Activities
 Hot/Cold & Humidity Suite of Tests • HALT/HASA

 Altitude Tests • Design Margin Test

 Thermal Mapping • Connector Cycle Tests

 Thermal Performance Test • Device Level Drop Tests

 Shock, Vibration & Pkg Tests • Salt Spray Tests

 HQA Tests • Extended Humidity Exposure Tests
- UV & Fluorescent Light Tests
• PCBA Qualification Tests
- Audio Parametric Tests
- Microcontroller Tests • Failure Analysis
- GSM Tests - X-Ray, X-section, Dye & Pry, etc.


Few Reliability Wins
Taking HALT to technology limits, we have observed
 Timing mismatch between ICs
 Variations between vendors and components
 Schottky diodes leaking current
 Over current condition that could weaken fuse
 Effective HASS screens that prevent units with intermittency from the field

Evaluation of shorter defined life components and sub-
assemblies
 AE capacitor in PSUs
 Ball-bearing Fans

Increased focus on Reliability brings an increased awareness
in the supply chain
 Renewed RMA SOWs, Supplier Plans and Contracts with commitment to
Reliability targets

Discussion on



Q&A


Reliability Challenges for Solar Microinverters
T. Paul Parker
Principle Reliability Engineer
June 8, 2010

© 2009 SolarBridge Technologies – PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL

Introduction

• Overview of Photovoltaic (PV) Systems
• Reliability of Inverters in PV Systems
• Microinverter Design for Reliability
• PV Reliability Test Standards applied to PV inverters
and integrated ACPV


Overview of PV Systems

• PV Modules (Panels)
– Convert solar radiation to DC Power
– Typically Single Crystal or
Polycrystalline Silicon
– Size: ~3’ x 5’
– Typical Power: 150W – 230W
– Typical Output Voltage: 20V to 40V
• Inverters
– Convert PV DC input to grid
compatible AC
– Central inverter: >2.5kW
– Microinverter: 175W – 230W


Series vs. Parallel Systems

• Series (String) Connected
– 1 Central Inverter
– High DC Voltage
– Single Points of Failure

• Parallel Connected
– 1 Microinverter / module
– Low DC Voltage
– No Single Point of Failure


Central Inverters vs.
Microinverters

• Central Inverter
– 5 - 10 year warranty typical
– Leading cause of PV system failure

J. Granata, Sandia; 2009 PV
Reliability Conference

Central Inverters vs.
Microinverters
• Microinverter
– Rooftop Installation
– 15 to 25 year warranty
• System Design Using Microinverters
– Detached (mounted to PV support infrastructure)
• Exposed DC cables
– Integrated (attached to bottom of PV module – ACPV)
• No exposed DC cables


Advantage of Microinverters
over Central Inverters

• Reliability – Critical
– No single point of failure
– Longer warranty
• Lower DC Voltages, less vulnerable to arcing
• Improved Energy Harvest
– Optimized Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT)
– Better accommodates shading, module mismatch
• PV Module level monitoring


SolarBridge Microinverter
Reliability / Safety Objectives
• 25 Year Warranty
– No wearout mechanisms during useful life

• 200 FIT (0.2%/yr, 5M hr MTBF)
– For 20 module installation, 1 service call in 25 year
lifetime
• Safety
– Risk mitigation for arc faults
– No exposed DC, capability to remove AC in case of
fire (in series PV systems, firefighters cannot
disconnect HV DC, presents safety hazard )

Achieving 25 Year Warranty

• Understand use Environment
– Solar Insolation
– Temperature Distributions
– Qty/Magnitude Temp Cycles
– AC Grid Disturbances / Lightning
– Humidity, Salt, Pollution,…


NREL Solar Irradiance data – Phoenix, AZ


Achieving 25 Year Warranty

• Eliminate known high failure rate components / wearout
mechanisms / Derate
– Electrolytic Capacitors (E-Caps)
• Electrolyte vaporization
• Major industry field recalls due to poor quality
– Optoisolators
• Current Transfer Ratio (CTR) Degradation
– Non compliant solder joints
• BGA
• Large Ceramic body parts
– Corrosion
• Salt, industrial pollution
– MOV / fuses
• Limit to number of high energy transient discharges

Electrolytic vs. Film
Capacitor Lifetime

• Using Industry accepted reliability models and fixed temperature, Film
caps have >10x longer lifetime than Electrolytic Capacitors

Using 120 FIT electrolytic, five capacitors in a system leads to 600 FITs or 0.5% E-cap failures/yr
Using 6 FIT film cap, five capacitors in a system leads to 30 FITs or 0.03% film cap failures /yr

* Jones, et.al, “A Comparison of Electronic Reliability Prediction Methods”, IEEE Trans. on Reliability, June
1999, p 127 – 143.

Achieving 200 FIT Reliability

• Design For Reliability
– Component derating
– Proven component technology
– Careful vendor selection / management
• Outdoor Testing
• Accelerated Testing
• Manufacturing Yield Management
• Closed Loop Feedback


Reliability Test Strategy

• No standards currently available which focus on PV Microinverter
Reliability
• Custom tests
– Component level accelerated testing
– HALT/HASS
• UL1741 Standard for Safety– PV inverters
• UL1703 / IEC61215 Standard for Safety– Flat Plate Photovoltaic
Modules and Panels
– Designed to apply to PV modules only
– Integrated Microinverter must pass UL1703
– Contains combinations of Regulatory and Reliability tests
• IPC-9592 - Requirements for Power Conversion Devices for the
Computer and Telecommunications Industries
– Does not cover Inverters
– Does not apply to typical PV use environment

Thermal Cycle

• Unpowered / Static Continuity Monitoring
• Sample Size = 3
• Delta T = 125°C
• Ramp = 2°C/min
• 200 cycles
• 1200 hours

Humidity Freeze

• Unpowered
• Sample Size = 3
• Delta T = 125°C
• RH = 85% @ 85°C
• Ramp = 3°C/min
• 10 cycles
• 240 hours

Weakness of Testing to Existing Standards

• No correlation to actual field use conditions, no
accelerated test models applied
– Solution: Perform separate highly accelerated tests
for specific failure mechanisms, model according to
industry best practices
• Weak on Shock & Vibration
– Solution: Apply methods from IPC-9592 / IEC 60068-2
• Weak on AC Line Disturbances
– Solution: Apply methods from IPC-9592 / IEC 61000-4

Conclusion

• PV Microinverters provide an innovative solution
to existing challenges in Residential and Small
Commercial Solar applications
• High reliability is key to the success of
Microinverter technology
• Currently no test standards available which
adequately demonstrate Microinverter reliability

For a copy of this presentation email ddumbleton@atlas-
mts.com or contact us at info@atlas-mts.com

AET in the PV World
Dr. David P. Dumbleton
Senior Consultant
Custom ● Testing ● Solutions
Atlas Material Testing Technology LLC

© 2009

About the speaker

David Dumbleton
– 35 Years in Materials Development and
Evaluation
• Natural and Synthetic Polymers and their Applications
• Product Development
• Packaging Materials Expertise
• Laboratory and Pilot Plant Management
• Polymer Processing
• Management of Technical Organizations
– And with Atlas Material Testing Technology
• Specialist in material degradation and weathering
• Senior Consultant in Atlas global consulting group
• Consulting Business Development
• Photovoltaic and CSP Expertise

“Prediction is very difficult,
especially if it’s about the future”

- Niels Bohr

The Nobel Prize in Physics 1922
Creator of the Bohr Atomic Model

Our Objective Today
Overview:
• Explain the meaning of AET, HALT, etc.
• Explain the need for accelerated tests
• Describe the current test environment
• Outline the differences between
– Accelerated infant mortality tests
– Long term durability tests
• The need for a long term environmental
durability test and how it was developed
• How we do this kind of testing

Durability Test Methodologies

• Qualitative Accelerated Life Tests - used primarily to reveal probable
failure modes - some examples include:
– ALT – Accelerated Life Tests
– HALT – Highly Accelerated Life Tests (product robustness)
– ESS – Environmental Stress Screening
– HASS – Highly Accelerated Stress Screening (infant mortality)
– HAST – Highly Accelerated Stress Test
– CALT – Calibrated Accelerated Life Tests (General Motors method)
The exact definition and implementation of these tests may vary with specific industry practices

Importance of Durability

- Material concerns -

• Photovoltaic (PV) modules and other solar
conversion technologies are most effective when
deployed in direct sunlight

• An inherently harsh service environment for any
material

• Damaging solar radiation in combination with heat
and humidity are the bane of all man-made materials


- Financial concerns -

• According to industry experts - economic viability
of the still expensive renewable technologies is
contingent on their ability to function effectively for
25 – 30 years

• High initial costs are amortized (over 20-30 yrs) to
approach costs per kW of current, conventional
electricity production

- compliance concerns -
• PV manufacturers - test to obtain “certification” marks

•Also, challenged to:
-Build systems that are cost effective, i.e
commercially viable? Financial concerns –
• Substantial up-front costs
• Long term financing – (> 20 yrs amortization)
• Payback for investors
• Warranty
- Yet, durable and reliable for up to 30 years in
most extreme environments?
- Life estimates must be scientifically sound –
defensible

“PV materials are known to be stable –
why is durability testing still necessary?”

• Only silicon-based PV has been around for a
long time
– Good durability – several issues remain.
Packaging, sealing, superstrate, substrate
• New technologies, materials & applications
coming on line – Thin films, BIPV (aesthetics
& performance), etc
• Newer, less costly manufacturing techniques
• Therefore, the old durability assumptions
don’t necessarily apply

Degradation Factors & Testing

Why Test? (25)
• The major problem in solar
energy technologies is not
discovering how to collect the
radiant flux, but how to collect it
in a cost competitive way with
conventional power generation.

• Service Lifetime Prediction (SLP)
estimates of the photovoltaic
devices will determine the life-
cycle costs.

• The cost-effective deployment of
any PV device is limited by the
durability and life-cycle cost of
the materials used.

(25) Accelerated Life Testing and Service Lifetime Prediction for PV
Technologies in the Twenty-First Century. NREL, A.W.
Czanderna and G.J. Jorgensen

Compliance issues:

• Standard Test Methods
• Certification
• Qualification
• Durability
• Reliability

Qualification tests

• 30 Years of the development work –
begun with Jet Propulsion Laboratory
(JPL) block-buys
• Resulted in “qualification tests”
– Accelerated weathering tests
– Temperature & Humidity tests
– Safety tests

Durability
• Durability
The ability of a material, component or product to resist wear, decay,
etc., under conditions of stress and/or time.

Durability
• Durability
Loss of requisite or desirable properties may result from a single
stress-relaxation event, such as exceeding maximum temperature . . .

Property of Interest
. . . cyclic fatigue . . .

. . . or a gradual decline in properties.
% of Lifetime

http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/multimedia/2005/11/69528?slide=3&slideView=3

Durability

• Durability Measurements
– include changes to - chemical, physical or appearance properties,
– loss of performance
– Rate of property change with time or stress,
– Time to unacceptable change, etc.
– (Note- the PV industry tends to define these as reliability attributes,
when in fact, they are durability issues that may or may not actually affect
reliability)

Durability Tests - examples
• Temperature cycling
• Thermal shock testing
• Freeze/Thaw cycling
Altitude testing
• Humidity testing
• Temperature/Humidity cycling
• Solar radiation testing
• Rain testing
• Immersion testing
• Icing/Freezing rain testing
• Fungus testing
• Salt fog testing
• Sand and Dust testing
• Vibration”
- Many others – standard, or as
appropriate for application

Environmental Durability

• Environmental Durability –special discipline within the larger
context of durability
The specific ability of a material, component or product to resist
degradation by stresses of the service environment(s).
• For PV “environment” may include extra- terrestrial or terrestrial
outdoor exposure
• Weatherability, or the resistance to “weathering”

The Science of Weathering
• Combined efforts of several disciplines to
– Understand,
– Measure,
– Predict,
– Simulate, and
– Accelerate
• The property changes of
– Materials,
– Parts, and
– Products
• That occur due to the combined impact of
– Primary and
– Secondary
• Weather factors.

Multi-disciplinary Approach
Physics Chemistry Biology Mathematics

Numerical Environ-
Material Testing Photo Chemistry Erythema Research
mental Simulation

DOE - Design of
Sensor Technology Reaction Kinetics Photo Biology
Experiments

Meteorology Polymer Chemistry Statistics

Service Life
Conservation
Prediction - SLP

Radiometry FMEA, FMECA

Corrosion Protection

Solar Radiation
Man-made and natural
Heat / Cold air pollutants, e.g. NOx,
Temperature changes, shock Oxygen, O3
SOx, soot, dust, NH3
Water: Air humidity,
Rain, Condensation, Salt water, mist Biological
Mechanical Snow, Ice acid rain factors, e.g.
factors, e.g. abrasion mildew, algae,
by sand, dust, hail, … bird’s droppings, …

Ageing (microscopic)

Property change (macroscopic):
Function, appearance

(Premature) Failure

Characteristic failure modes
Cracking

Rusting

Delamination

V. Quaschning, TU Berlin, Alterungserscheinungen bei Photovoltaikmodulen, Langzeiterfahrung einer PV-
Testanlage an der TU-Berlin, 14th Symposium on PV Solar Energy, Bad Staffelstein, 10 - 13 March 1999

Prominent Standards-writing
organizations for PV Testing

• IEC - International Electrotechnical Commission
• UL - Underwriters Laboratory
• ASTM - ASTM International
• IEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• ISO – International Standards Organizations

IEC Standards

• IEC Technical Committee 82 (TC82) on Solar
Photovoltaic Energy Systems

- Charged with oversight and improvement of qualification
standards

- Gradual process – Each iteration aims to improve by
factoring in new information from field experience

• Most widely used standards, internationally

IEC Standards
• IEC
– IEC 61215
• Design and Type Approval of Crystalline Silicon Terrestrial
PV Modules
– IEC 61646
• Thin films version of 61215
– IEC 60904-2
• Photovoltaic devices. Part 2: Requirements for reference
solar cells
– IEC 60904-9
• Photovoltaic devices - Part 9: Solar simulator performance
requirements
– IEC 61345
• UV test for photovoltaic (PV) modules
– IEC 61701
• Salt mist corrosion testing of photovoltaic (PV) modules
(35) http://webstore.iec.ch/webstore/webstore.nsf/$$search?openform

IEC design qualification tests

e.g. IEC 61215, IEC 61646

IEC tests vs. long term
environmental durability tests

Atlas 25plus Life Testing

Screening

UL Standards

• UL-1703 Flat-Plate PV Modules and Panels
- Actually a comprehensive series of tests
- de facto – seal of approval in the US, especially

Atlas Solar Energy Competence Center

Providing Solutions for the
Solar Energy Industry

Worldwide Exposure Network

Providing exposures at global benchmark locations

Miami, Florida

Atlas has created the
Worldwide Exposure Network
providing testing at
approximately 25 locations in
key global climates and
markets. Phoenix, Arizona

Accelerated Outdoor Weathering

Ultra Accelerated
Weathering Device

EMMAQUA® test field at the Arizona site

SuperMAQ module testing

Custom exposure / Performance tests

Test house Special testbed
structures, roofs,
buidlings

Remote weather station
Test roof

Test roof

Client 50X Solar
IV Curve Concentrator test

Custom thermal, radiometric, IV-curve
and other measurements Solar spectrotadiometry

Solar reflectivity test

Laboratory Weathering Services

Commercial accelerated weathering lab Laboratory measurements

Atlas Solar Test Center in Phoenix, AZ

Variable position solar simulator

Customer installation – (2) 12-lamp systems

Solar energy markets we serve

• CSP Concentrated Solar Power

• Solar Thermal

• PV Photovoltaic – all PV
technologies

• CPV Concentrated Photovoltaic

• BIPV Building Integrated
Photovoltaic

• Organic, new technologies
Photos for illustration only

Going forward – Reality check

• Renewable Energy technology quickly migrating towards
business interest
• As government incentives go away – businesses will be forced to
operate in classic business style – make profit - i.e, cut costs,
manage risk
• PV business managers who will look to their technical staff for
sound durability and reliability analyses and service life
estimations
• Speed and accuracy will be paramount
- Speed to facilitate a significantly compressed development-
to-production business cycle
- Accuracy to minimize liability exposure - mitigate risks
associated with product durability and reliability

Going Forward

• Prepare to meet demands in a number of
ways (not necessarily mutually exclusive)
– Become active in the development of
consensus standards
• Contribute to the development of more relevant test
methods
• The slow process of this route may however, render
it less useful for business entities that need results
quickly

Going Forward

• Individual companies may have no other option
but to undertake the responsibility of developing
their own company-specific methodologies
• If so, do not repeat the common mistake of re-
inventing the wheel.
• Environmental durability (or weatherability)
testing is a very specialized discipline..

Going Forward
• Become educated on the subject-
numerous quality publications on PV
durability
(will help regardless of the
subsequent paths chosen)
• Conduct clear-eyed assessment of
in-house resources and capabilities
• Determine whether it is more feasible
to develop in-house capabilities or
purchase the services of experts on
an as-needed-basis

Finally - Start Now!

Green Reliability Seminar Webinar - Austin 2010 - Ops A La Carte, DfR Solutions, Polycom, Solar Bridge and Atlas - Webinar

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Green Reliability Seminar Webinar - Austin 2010 - Ops A La Carte, DfR Solutions, Polycom, Solar Bridge and Atlas - Webinar