From the magazine
Solar glass is not supposed to break on its own – but increasingly, it does. Since about 2021, scientists, operators, and testing labs have been seeing glass breakage on solar modules with no apparent cause, such as impacts or extreme weather. This novel failure mode has been researched to some extent, but as its scientific name suggests, “spontaneous glass breakages” still occur without warning.
Spontaneous glass breakage in glass-glass modules is the most significant reliability issue affecting modules today, according to Kiwa PVEL. “We are aware of it occurring in multiple countries, with multiple module model types, mounted to multiple tracker/racking solutions,” the lab wrote in its 2025 PV scorecard.
Tristan Erion-Lorico, vice president of sales and marketing at Kiwa PVEL, said the phenomenon is directly related to the industry’s cost-saving efforts.
“Generally speaking, we have thinned the glass, frames, and encapsulant and gone to more aggressive mounting,” Erion-Lorico told pv magazine. “That probably all works on paper, where the ‘perfect module’ should be reliable over the expected lifetime. However, we have eroded the safety margins, and now microscopic defects along the glass edges or surface, improperly placed silicone or frame adhesive, edge pinch, pressure from the busbars, etc., can result in module breakage.”
