Effect of operating temperature on degradation of solder joints in crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules for improved reliability in hot climates

•PV solder joint degradation is investigated under European and hot climatic operating temperatures.•ANSYS Mechanical package is used to simulate the PV module response to applied loads.•Three PV cell temperature ranges with distinct solder joint degradation rates are observed.•Operations of c-Si PV modules resulting in cell temperature range of 43 °C and 63 °C are critical and should be avoided.•A model to predict the fatigue life (in years) of a c-Si PV module in any operating temperature is generated.