By Evolution Solar Sunshine Coast

REC solar panels are now certified for Potential Induced Degradation (PID) Resistance. They have endured some of the industries toughest PID testing and come out on top with less than 2% power degradation.

The PID testing put the solar panels to the test and basically finds out how the panels perform under some of the harshest conditions. PID essentially means a voltage induced decrease in performance. Therefore, the panels were subjected to a negative voltage of 1000 volts, in 60°C temperatures, 85% relative humidity over 96 hours. The tests were completed by the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS). As with most of industry-accepted testing, the results have come from a neutral, third party institution.

“We are very proud to be one of only a few manufacturers passing the PID test at this protocol and doing so with such excellent results,” commented Luc Graré, Senior Vice President Solar Sales and Marketing, REC. “Consistent high yield, quality, and durability are of utmost importance in today’s market and our outstanding performance in this demanding test clearly demonstrates that REC solar panels are among the best in the industry.”

REC believes that their continued superior results come from their complete control of the manufacturing process – optimisation of design, careful quality material selection and in-house automated manufacturing. They are already certified under the TUV Rheinland Standards which subjects solar panels to a negative voltage of 1000 volts, in 25° temperatures for 169 hours.

Tests like these can often prove that not all solar panels are created equal. Solar panels normally have to undergo Standard Testing Conditions (STC), although it has been said that panels can be slightly modified to produce decent STC results. Harsh tests such as the PID test show that panels are not ‘much of a muchness’ in the industry. Normal testing conditions can be vastly different to the conditions solar power systems are subject to in reality, especially here in Australia where we experience some of the harshest conditions in world.

REC is a leading global provider of solar electricity solutions and has yet again proved its quality. In fact their quality is so high that their own in house testing requires them to double the intensity of the tests and they expect half the allowable drop in performance. Therefore if there is a maximum allowance of 5% reduction REC only allows a 2.5% reduction.

After a long history with the REC Group, Evolution Solar Sunshine Coast are confident in REC solar panels and plan to support and sell them for years to come. For more information, visit the REC Group website.