Calendar week 10 in Kloster Banz at Bad Staffelstein was all about PID. The "Fire protection and maintenance of PV systems" professional forum was dedicated to this topic at the start of the week and also during the subsequent 31st. symposium for photovoltaic solar energy it was clear how seriously the potential induced degradation is keeping the industry on tenter hooks.

Sönke Jäger (Head of Engineering Services, Adler Solar Services GmbH) started with his lecture "Field experience with PID: From the yield problem through the analysis of the cause and on to module regeneration". After that, Michael Fuhs reported on the survey findings from the pv magazine within the scope of the lecture "PID – appearance or reality in the existing systems".

In further lectures, the speakers reported on innovative options, detecting PID by drone fly-pasts for example, and which products are available on the market that have been verified as preventing PID or that can regenerate PID-afflicted modules in a cost-effective manner.

"The fact that the name PADCON has been mentioned numerous times as a solution provider is a source of pride for us and shows that we are on the right road", declared the delighted PADCON managing director Constantin Wenzlik. "We had many interesting and directive discussions at our info stand. First and foremost, the interest and the visits from expert assessors as well as independent testing institutes is an indication that with our products, we have become established as a recognised expert in the market."

The intensive week was rounded off by the lecture from Peter Lechner (ZSW [centre for solar energy and hydrogen research] Stuttgart) on the subject "Prognosis of performance recovery in the field after potential induced degradation".

The key message of this lecture was that single-sided earthing of the PV field is the least efficient measure for tackling PID. Alongside the known disadvantages with regard to operational reliability and inadequate single fault safety, the regeneration time for the modules afflicted is several times longer than when using "PID boxes", for example the PADCON PID Killer.