Reliability Approach

Since the SolarEdge power optimizer is attached to the PV module, it must be as reliable as the module itself and be able to withstand the same environmental conditions to which the module is exposed. SolarEdge Technologies considers obtaining high reliability and quality a high priority task. The approach we have taken is more comprehensive and in-depth than any approach prevalent in the industry today.

The essence of the SolarEdge reliability approach is a physics-based multi-level method of failure point identification. Providing a warranty for a proven 25 year system operational lifetime was enabled through a combination of reliability-oriented design rules, selection of top-tier suppliers and acceptance testing of their components, manufacturing in well-controlled environments and accelerated lifetime testing of the system (and its components) up to the wear-out point in order to determine when the product will fail, at what rate and by which failure mechanisms.

Multi-Level Reliability:

The SolarEdge multi-level reliability plan invloves Design Analysis & Qualification by in-house and external experts; sub-system testing by Accelerated Life Testing (ALT) of critical components; and integrative testing of design prototypes (via HALT) and large sample groups.

As part of these efforts, tens of thousands of components have been evaluated in accelerated life chambers (burn-in, thermal cycling, humidity and so forth) as well as hundreds of products in field tests and stress tests. These tests have run for the equivalent of over 50 years - well over the expected life of photovoltaic systems, and the lessons learned are invaluable in enabling SolarEdge to produce systems with unsurpassed reliability.