Energetica India Magazine March - April 2026

For all types of PV modules, reliability remains the most critical parameter. A PV module must perform for 25–30 years under open and often harsh environmental conditions, which vary significantly across different geographies. The module is expected to deliver the rated power with limited degradation throughout its service life. Scientists worldwide have been chasing a target referred to as the “Holy Grail”, where solar PV becomes equal to or even less costly than fossil fuels. The prices of solar energy have been constantly dropping, more vigorously in recent years, due to significant technological advancements. It has crossed the in - flexion point in the price–time curve and has now become more affordable and definitely less expensive than the energy derived from coal and oil. However, there must be a deeper understanding in terms of usage, lifespan, and upkeep, all of which play a significant role in determining the true cost of solar PV. PV modules, the basic building blocks for harnessing solar energy, must perform for more than 30 years, delivering over 90 percent of their initial power output for most of that duration. The overall costing and investment assumptions are based on this premise. The entire economics and costing revolve around the basic assump- tion of crystalline modules surviving for more than 25 to 30 years. This requires a very robust design and manufacturing of all the modules to be used in a solar farm. Any quality degrada- tion can lead to a severe loss of power output. Consequently, the return on investment is greatly reduced. While this is well understood by several investors and decision-makers, there still exists a large grey area, and greater clarity is required in this field. Domestic Manufacturing Landscape As of April 2026, India’s ALMM Listed module manufacturing capacity stands at about 173 GW and has around 30 GW listed in ALMM List-II for solar cells. At present, TOPCon technol - ogy is leading, whereas PERC is gradually fading. There are efforts toward Heterojunction Technology (HJT), but due to cost considerations and the fact that its 25-year reliability is still not proven, it has not yet gained widespread acceptance. Its thin-film nature also makes it more vulnerable. Thin-film technologies are currently not in active market use and are likely to be phased out. Examples include: • CdTe (Cadmium Telluride): Used by companies like First So- lar, with efficiencies around 19–22 percent. • CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Selenide): Also falling behind. • Perovskite Solar Cells: An emerging technology with lab ef- ficiencies exceeding 29 percent, and tandem configurations reaching 33.9 percent. It shows great potential, especially when combined with TOPCon and HJT in tandem cell formats exceeding 30 percent. • Interdigitated Back Contact (IBC): Offers efficiencies above 25 percent, but requires complex manufacturing. It is expected to gain a niche market share and shows promise for long-term success. Current Trends and Future Directions High-efficiency cells like TOPCon are now scaling commercial - ly, with efficiencies approaching 26 percent. Perovskite-silicon tandem cells are nearing market readiness and aim to achieve efficiencies over 30 percent; however, their long-term stability is still an unresolved issue. Reliability of Solar PV Modules MODULE RELIABILITY 60 energetica INDIA- Mar-Apr_2026 Vijay Kumar COO Zuvay Technologies Pvt. Ltd.