Abstract
Conference Title: 2017 IEEE 44th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC) Conference Start Date: 2017, June 25 Conference End Date: 2017, June 30 Conference Location: Washington, DC In 1990, 192 ARCO M75 photovoltaic (PV) modules were installed at the HSU Telonicher Marine Lab in Trinidad, California, 150 meters inland from the Pacific Ocean. Current-voltage (IV) tests were performed on each module prior to the array's construction in 1990 [1] and then again in 2001 [2], 2010 [3], and most recently in 2016 after the array was decommissioned. After 25.5 years, 188 of the original 192 modules remained operational. Over their lifetime, the modules' maximum power at the normal operating cell temperature (NOCT) declined by an average 21.6% with a degradation rate of 0.85% per year. The average degradation rate grew from 0.4%/year in the first 11 years to 0.81%/year after 20 years to 0.85%/year after the total 25.5 years.