PV Evolution Labs

PV Evolution Labs (PVEL), now operating as Kiwa PVEL, functions as a critical independent testing laboratory for the global downstream solar energy and energy storage sectors. The company was established in 2010 by Jenya Meydbray, a former reliability engineer at SunPower, who identified a crucial need for standardized, independent data on the performance and reliability of solar modules to bolster investor confidence. His experience at SunPower, and earlier at NASA Ames Research Center, informed the development of extended reliability and performance test protocols that would become the company's foundation.

PVEL's core business revolves around providing bankability testing and data-driven insights to downstream players, including solar project developers, financiers, and asset owners. Revenue is generated by offering a suite of technical services designed to mitigate risk, optimize project financing, and enhance system performance throughout a project's lifecycle. This includes laboratory testing, field testing, and consulting services. A significant milestone in the company's history was its operation under DNV from 2014 to 2019, followed by a management buyout in 2019 that returned Meydbray to the role of CEO. In 2021, PVEL was acquired by the Kiwa Group, a global testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) firm, a move that expanded its global footprint and integrated it with other Kiwa-owned solar service companies like PI Berlin and Extel Energy.

The company's flagship offering is its Product Qualification Program (PQP), a comprehensive suite of extended reliability and performance tests for PV modules, inverters, and energy storage systems. The PQP goes beyond standard certification tests to assess long-term durability against factors like thermal cycling, damp heat, mechanical stress, and various forms of degradation. The data from the PQP informs PVEL's widely recognized annual PV Module Reliability Scorecard, first published in 2012, which benchmarks manufacturers and specific module Bills of Materials (BOMs), identifying them as "Top Performers". This scorecard has become a vital tool for procurement, enabling developers and investors to make informed decisions by replacing performance assumptions with quantifiable metrics.

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