Solar That Lasts: Andre Chavez’s IEEE Honour Puts Durability Back in the Photovoltaic Spotlight

When Andre Chavez collected the Best Poster Award for Area 4 at the IEEE 53rd Photovoltaic Specialists Conference this month, he wasn’t being recognised for breakthrough efficiency claims or exotic laboratory achievements. His win spotlighted something far more valuable to investors: research into packaging, reliability, recyclability and supply chain resilience – the unglamorous work that determines whether solar installations actually make money.

The distinction matters more than it might sound. US solar facilities lost approximately $5,720 per megawatt in 2024 due to equipment failures, with global losses reaching around $10 billion. When panels fail early or perform below expectations, the financial damage spreads quickly through project returns.

The Engineer Behind the Research

Chavez serves as Chief Engineer at Osazda Energy, a New Mexico startup that has secured over $1 million in US Department of Energy funding for reliability research. His work focuses on developing technologies that electrically bridge micro-cracks in solar cells, protecting them against environmental stresses that cause premature failure.

‘It’s an honour to be recognised among such a talented and forward-thinking community,’ said Chavez. ‘I’m grateful to the University of New Mexico, Osazda Energy, and our many collaborators for their support in this work.’

The competitive context makes his recognition significant. The IEEE PVSC draws leading researchers worldwide, and Area 4 specifically addresses the technical challenges that determine long-term commercial success rather than laboratory performance metrics.

Why Reliability Trumps Performance Claims

The focus on packaging and supply chain resilience reflects hard-learned lessons from recent market disruptions. Supply chain issues including tariffs and import restrictions caused a 26% drop in residential solar installations in 2024, while financial stress and overcapacity persist across the global solar industry.

Investors increasingly recognise that a 22% efficient panel that lasts 30 years delivers better returns than a 25% efficient panel that degrades rapidly or fails after 15 years. Packaging improvements now aim to extend panel lifespans beyond 50 years, countering faster-than-expected replacement rates that erode project economics.

Capital allocation patterns support this change. New manufacturing projects increased by 47% in early 2025 compared to late 2024, with investment flowing toward companies prioritising supply chain localisation and durability over pure performance metrics.

The Conference Hierarchy

The IEEE PVSC represents the premier gathering for photovoltaic science and engineering, drawing researchers, industry professionals and policymakers who determine what actually works in deployed systems. The Montreal conference in June 2025 featured global attendance and fierce competition across technical categories.

Area 4’s focus – packaging, reliability, recyclability and supply chain – signals industry priorities beyond the laboratory. These categories address the practical challenges that make or break commercial solar projects, from module degradation under thermal cycling to supply chain disruptions that delay construction.

Previous winners in similar categories have gone on to influence industry standards and practices. The recognition often correlates with research that finds practical application in commercial products and deployment strategies.

Investment Implications

Chavez’s award-winning research addresses problems that directly impact investor returns. His work on improving solar panel lifetime while reducing costs tackles the fundamental economics of solar deployment: maximising energy production over the system’s operational life.

Osazda Energy’s MetZilla™ technology, developed with Chavez’s research support, addresses micro-crack formation that causes real-world performance degradation and maintenance costs in utility-scale installations. Rather than pursuing incremental efficiency gains, it addresses the problems that matter in deployed systems.

The company’s $1.25 million Department of Energy grant supports developing software platforms to optimise system design for reliability and stability. Similar funding strategies continue to boost high-impact climate technologies that focus on practical deployment challenges rather than laboratory achievements.

Recognition and Collaboration

Chavez’s statement emphasises the collaborative nature of reliability research, acknowledging support from the University of New Mexico, Osazda Energy and multiple collaborators. This network approach reflects the complex challenges involved in solar durability, requiring expertise across materials science, manufacturing processes and field deployment conditions.

The recognition validates research that may lack the immediate appeal of efficiency breakthroughs but addresses the practical challenges that determine commercial success. Academic-industry partnerships like those Chavez describes increasingly focus on bridging the gap between laboratory achievements and field performance.

This practical focus mirrors approaches seen in other sectors where technology leaders prioritise real-world application over theoretical possibilities.

Looking Ahead

The 2025 IEEE PVSC award suggests that durability and supply chain work will continue gaining prominence as the solar industry matures. US solar manufacturing capacity has expanded dramatically post-Inflation Reduction Act, with over 95 GW of new manufacturing capacity added and domestic module production approaching deployment needs.

This manufacturing buildout creates opportunities for reliability-focused technologies like those Chavez develops. As supply chains localise and mature, the competitive advantage may change from pure cost reduction to long-term performance optimisation and reduced lifecycle maintenance requirements.

For investors and industry participants, Chavez’s IEEE recognition serves as a signpost for where serious players are focusing in 2025: not on laboratory performance records, but on the technical foundations that determine whether solar installations deliver promised returns over their operational lifetime.