The economic success of photovoltaic (PV) power plants depends crucially on their lifetime energy yield. Degradation effects and the total lifetime directly influence the produced electricity and therefore the cash flow, which also impacts the levelized costs of energy (LCOE) and therefore the profitability of the power plant. In most cases, the lifetimes and degradation rates that are used to estimate the system performance are not system-specific but are based on average values from the evaluations of older systems or data sheets. So, these values unfortunately have no direct correlation with the specific components of the specific PV system, nor the operational and climatic conditions at the specific location. Also, the mathematical models used for calculating the expected power output typically expect linear degradation rates which are not in line with real degradation processes found in the field, which are typically non-linear.
This report gives an overview on empirical degradation modelling and service life prediction of PV modules since they are the major components of PV systems that are subject to the effects of degradation.
