1.1 ,This test method provides a procedure to determine the ability of a photovoltaic (PV) module to endure the long-term effects of periodic “,hot spot”, heating associated with common fault conditions such as severely cracked or mismatched cells, single-point open circuit failures (for example, interconnect failures), partial (or non-uniform) shadowing or soiling. Such effects typically include solder melting or deterioration of the encapsulation, but in severe cases could progress to combustion of the PV module and surrounding materials.