Using ISOS consensus test protocols for development of quantitative life test models in ageing of organic solar cells

•Development of life tests models for OPVs.•Used as the basis for predictive ageing.•Simulated life compared to experimental data.•Accelerated factors of ISOS tests calculated.•Effect of climatic change on stability estimated.

As Organic Photovoltaic (OPV) development matures, the demand grows for rapid characterisation of degradation and application of Quantitative Accelerated Life Tests (QALT) models to predict and improve reliability. To date, most accelerated testing on OPVs has been conducted using ISOS consensus standards. This paper identifies some of the problems in using and interpreting the results for predicting ageing based upon ISOS consensus standard test data. Design of Experiments (DOE) in conjunction with data from ISOS consensus standards are used as the basis for developing life test models for OPV modules. This is used to study their temperature-humidity and light-induced degradation, which enables failure rates during accelerated testing to be assessed against the typical outdoor operational conditions. The life test models are used to assess the relative severity of the ISOS standards and the impact of geographic and seasonal climatic changes on OPV degradation.