Standardisation Methods for Bifacial Energy Yield Estimation and PV Module Long-Term Performance Degradation Estimation: Potential Policy Implications

European policies like the Ecodesign Directive [1], the Energy Labelling Regulation [2] or the recently implemented Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation [3] have improved the efficiency and sustainability of energy related products in the European market. In recent years, measures to incorporate PV products (modules and inverters) within the scope of these policies are being prepared [4]. In this regard, the EC’s European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) is managing a three-year project aimed at developing standardized methods relevant for the implementation of the aforementioned policy measures to PV modules. The project has two distinctive objectives. Define a methodology to estimate the energy yield of bifacial PV modules, and develop a method and testing sequence to estimate the long-term degradation rate of the PV module´s performance. The project is carried out by the consortium formed by the German National Metrology Institute (PTB), TÜV Rheinland Italia SRL and the Spanish National Renewable Energy Centre (CENER), and it is supported by the EC’s Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) and the Directorate General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD).