Experimental investigation of hotspot phenomenon in PV arrays under mismatch conditions

•Reviews the looming global problem of PV waste generation in near future.•Identifies issues in the PV modules which contribute to early failure.•Two configurations are experimentally compared in light of PV reliability.•Proposes ways to mitigate high-volume of PV waste due to early failures.•The inclusion of bypass circuit verification test is recommended in IEC 61215.