The report emphasizes quality concerns, revealing that 87% of manufacturers failed at least one test. Key issues include module breakage and delamination, despite improvements in long-term durability and energy yield.
Why it matters: With 87% of brands failing key tests, relying on 'Tier 1' status alone is now a professional liability for EU installers and developers.
The Marketing-Reliability Gap
If you walked into Intersolar and told a developer that nearly nine out of ten modules on the floor failed at least one reliability benchmark, they’d call you a cynic. Yet, Kiwa PVEL’s 2026 Scorecard just confirmed it: 87% of manufacturers failed at least one test. While the 'Top Performer' list grew to 43 names, that title is becoming dangerously diluted. In the race to scale TOPCon and HJT capacities, manufacturers are cutting corners on the Bill of Materials (BOM) that don't show up on a spec sheet but wreck a 25-year PPA.
The Delamination Time Bomb
We are seeing a resurgence of delamination and module breakage—issues we thought the industry had solved a decade ago. This isn't just bad luck; it’s a direct result of the margin squeeze. When Tier 1 players are fighting for every cent per watt in a saturated European market, they swap out proven encapsulants or thin down the glass. For an installer in Northern Europe dealing with 2.4kN/m² snow loads or a project in the windy coastal regions of Iberia, 'minor' breakage in a lab translates to a catastrophic O&M nightmare in the field.
A Checklist for 2026 Procurement
Don't let a 'Top Performer' badge be your only due diligence. If you’re signing a supply agreement for a 50MW+ project, you need to look at the specific test results behind the badge:
The 2026 data proves that 'Tier 1' is no longer a proxy for 'bulletproof.' If 87% are failing, you need to be the engineer who knows exactly which 13% didn't.