MECHANICAL RELIABILITY Q&A

Over the past 24 years of research, development, and manufacturing, Trina Solar has laid a solid foundation in technology, forging high efficiency and reliability products that possess the world's best performance. Whether it's during strong winds, snowstorms or extreme cold, Trina Solar Vertex modules exhibit perfect performance for different application scenarios to provide total solutions for customers.

Do Vertex 670W modules work well when it gets too cold?

Certainly. Vertex 670W modules have just passed another -40°C extreme low-temperature mechanical load test, demonstrating excellent ability to withstand extreme weather. Test results show that the modules maintain in good appearance without cracks, and the testing of insulation and shift leakage are both passed, with power degradation at just 0.1%. This well proves that even under extreme low-temperature conditions, Trina Solar's Vertex 670W modules are safe and reliable and guarantee excellent quality. With outstanding performances under severe cold weather, Trina Solar's modules have been shipped worldwide, including the Arctic Circle countries such as Sweden and Norway. (Note: the average winter temperature in the Artic is between -40°C and 0°C.) 

Can the Vertex 670W module handle a hailstorm?

In the hail test that simulates the impact of the hail of different sizes on modules, the Vertex 670W module was hit by hailstones of 35mm in diameter (equivalent to the size of an ordinary peasant egg). After the test, the module was in good condition without causing any damage, while the power attenuation was only 0.17%. Vertex 670W modules have shown excellent performance under a more rigorous test condition than the IEC standard. The test result again proves the module's high reliability when facing extreme weather.

What happens if a critical amount of snow accumulates on a Vertex 670 module in a non-uniform way?

Snow exerts uneven pressure when it accumulates on the surface of the module, especially on the underside of the module. This uneven pressure can lead to module failure through bent or broken frames or uneven breakage of the rear glass. This is why after passing the standard 5400Pa static mechanical and dynamic mechanical load tests, the Vertex 670W modules continued to challenge non-uniform snow-load testing to evaluate their performance in heavy-snow conditions more rigorously. 

Following the test procedures in IEC 62938:2020, data demonstrates that the critical snow load for all five of Trina Solar's modules to be as high as 6,600 Pa or more, with a maximum of 7,000 Pa, which is much higher than the usual required norms for non-uniform snow loads. An average snow density of 0.25g/cm3 is equivalent to the pressure generated by 2.8 meters of snow unevenly pressing on the modules.

Does a larger module mean a greater chance of failure under dynamic wind loads?

No, and there is good evidence of it. Trina Solar has recently conducted multi-fold dynamic load testing on 670W modules and smaller 535 or 540W modules manufactured by other suppliers to compare the number of acceptable cycles of each module.

In a first-round, modules were tested under a standard load of ±1000 Pa, observing the samples' appearance every 500 cycles. The 540W monofacial module showed cracks near the mounting holes after 3000 DML cycles, while Vertex 670W continued functioning normally after 7000 cycles.

In the second round, the load was ±1500 Pa and samples were observed every 200 cycles. The bifacial 535W module failed at the end of 200DML. In contrast, Vertex 670W only had minor cracks around one mounting hole after 2000 DML cycles.

Can the 210mm Vertex 670W modules withstand a hurricane?

That's a big YES. During the extreme wind tunnel test that we jointly conducted with an authoritative third-party organization, the 210mm Vertex 670W module remained intact when wind speed reached 62.6m/s (225.4km/h or 140 mph), which is equivalent to the low end of a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The wind tunnel test results prove that the 210mm Vertex module not only generates super high power but also possesses extreme reliability.