Recorded live in Barcelona at the Solar Quality Summit in February, this episode of The smarter E Podcast examines a critical question for the PV industry: are today’s solar modules built for long-term durability?
As manufacturers push for higher efficiencies, larger formats, and lower costs, quality data is flashing warning signs. Drawing on insights from Kiwa PI Berlin’s latest Module Manufacturing Report, we explore a record 3.36% defect rate observed during pre-shipment inspections in 2025, and what’s driving it.
Rear-side breakage in large-format, glass-glass modules is emerging as a major concern, with thinner 2 mm strengthened glass proving more fragile under real-world stress. At the same time, thinner frames, rapid factory ramp-ups, and geopolitical supply chain shifts are adding new layers of risk.
The episode also dives into degradation challenges linked to TOPCon technology, including UV-induced degradation – and module meta-stability, which is proving challenging for accurate characterization.
In the second part of the episode, we turn to polymers – present in the encapsulants, backsheets, and adhesives that quietly influence whether modules last 30 years or fail early. New materials like POE and TPO are improving performance in some areas, but increasing complexity across the bill of materials. Meanwhile, emerging tools such as near-infrared field analysis and AI-supported inspection may help be a helpful root-cause analysis tool and enabler of predictive maintenance.
If solar is scaling at unprecedented speed, quality assurance must keep up. Covering a wide range of the important quality topics at hand, our live conversation Barcelona puts the spotlight on what it will take to ensure today’s modules truly stand the test of time.
About The smarter E Podcast
The smarter E podcast is all about the current trends and developments in a renewable, decentralized and digital energy industry. Our host welcomes and interviews personalities who shape our industry and drive developments forward. A new episode is published bi-weekly on Thursdays.
Steven Xuereb is a renewable energy professional who has twenty-five years of experience both in the solar and wind industries. Currently he is an Executive Director of Kiwa PI Berlin, leading the sales and project delivery departments, focusing on delivering independent engineering services for large scale solar plants. Before joining Kiwa PI Berlin, Steven spent eight years procuring and developing solar and wind projects in North America, Chile and South Africa. His experience in the industry includes greenfield development, acquisitions, contracts management, research and development, certification and service operations. He is a mechanical engineer with a Master’s degree in renewable energy from the Universities of Oldenburg and Kassel.
Chiara Barretta received her PhD from the Technical University of Leoben (Austria) in 2023 in the field of Materials Science and the Testing of Polymers. She began working at PCCL (Austria) in 2017 as a researcher and project manager. Her research focuses on the reliability of PV modules, the degradation of polymeric materials (such as encapsulants and backsheets) and their impact on PV performance degradation, as well as destructive and non-destructive characterization methods.