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@ARTICLE{zkalay:1043482,
      author       = {Özkalay, Ebrar and Quest, Hugo and Gassner, Anika and
                      Virtuani, Alessandro and Eder, Gabriele C. and Vorstoffel,
                      Stefanie and Buerhop-Lutz, Claudia and Friesen, Gabi and
                      Ballif, Christophe and Burri, Matthias and Bucher, Christof},
      title        = {{T}hree decades, three climates: environmental and material
                      impacts on the long-term reliability of photovoltaic
                      modules},
      journal      = {EES solar},
      volume       = {1},
      number       = {4},
      issn         = {3033-4063},
      address      = {Washington DC},
      publisher    = {Royal Society of Chemistry},
      reportid     = {FZJ-2025-02885},
      pages        = {580-599},
      year         = {2025},
      abstract     = {As the world has entered the terawatt age of photovoltaic
                      (PV) deployment, ensuring long-term reliability is more
                      critical than ever for the global energy transition. This
                      study analyses the long-term performance of six PV systems
                      in Switzerland over three decades, with more than 20 years
                      of high-quality monitoring data. The plants feature modules
                      from the same family (AM55 and SM55) installed across
                      varying altitudes and climates, providing a unique dataset
                      to compare performance trends under different operating
                      conditions. Using the multi-annual year-on-year (multi-YoY)
                      approach, system-level performance loss rates (PLR) were
                      assessed, averaging just −0.24 ± $0.16\%$ per year, well
                      below the commonly reported range of $−0.75\%$ to $−1\%$
                      per year in the literature. Laboratory analyses further
                      revealed that higher thermal stress in low-altitude systems
                      (up to 20 °C warmer) accelerated encapsulant degradation
                      and acetic acid formation, contributing to localised
                      corrosion and higher performance losses. Importantly, the
                      bill of materials (BOM) is identified as the most critical
                      factor in ensuring PV module longevity – with modules
                      manufactured with lower-quality materials showing markedly
                      higher degradation rates – followed by climatic
                      influences. Indoor laboratory measurements confirmed that
                      most modules retained over $80\%$ of their initial nominal
                      power after 30–35 years in the field. These findings
                      highlight the durability of early 1990s module designs
                      featuring EVA encapsulants, Tedlar backsheets, and robust
                      framed glass/foil structures, supporting lower levelised
                      cost of energy (LCOE), reduced carbon footprints, and
                      extended performance warranties.},
      cin          = {IET-2},
      ddc          = {620},
      cid          = {I:(DE-Juel1)IET-2-20140314},
      pnm          = {1214 - Modules, stability, performance and specific
                      applications (POF4-121)},
      pid          = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-1214},
      typ          = {PUB:(DE-HGF)16},
      doi          = {10.1039/D4EL00040D},
      url          = {https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/1043482},
}