The cause of glass breakage is usually mechanical overload. With unframed modules in particular, they can be caused by an installation error, for example if the wrong, too short or too narrow module clamps have been used. . Not from hail or mishandling, but from cracks that spider from frame edges, splinter near clamps, and web across modules. In cases seen by Jörg Althaus, director of engineering and quality assurance at Clean Energy Associates (CEA), it starts with a few panels – then dozens, hundreds, even. . Scientists and researchers at NREL, including Timothy Silverman and Elizabeth Palmiotti, are investigating early failure in dual-glass PV modules. In a feature article for PV Tech. . Failure rates as defined by a decrease in power below 80% of the original output (blue circles) and linear degradation greater than 0. 8%/year (orange diamonds) compared with increased failure rates during early-life (black triangles). With the trend towards double glass sided modules as seen in Bifacials, or TOPCon with double glass sided. . Knowledge of the main causes of solar panel cracking is very important for long-term performance and reliability.
