PHOTOVOLTAIC STANDARDS CATEGORIES
Photovoltaic standards can be, based on their topics and parts of photovoltaic systems,
divided into following categories. This should not be understand as general classification,
it is only help for visitors of this web site which allows you to easier find
desired standard or information you are looking for.
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Terminology
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This category include standards referring to basic terminology of
solar electric systems.
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Solar Radiation
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In this category standards referring to solar radiation measurement
process, measurement instrument calibration and the like can be found.
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Solar cells and modules
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Standards from this category regulate solar cells (modules)
characteristic measurement, solar cells (modules) tests and other standards
referring to solar cells (modules) production and testing - production procedure,
mechanic or electric photovoltaic module testing, I-U module characteristics
measurement etc.
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Solar simulators
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In this category various standards regulating solar simulators and
testing methods are presented.
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PV systems
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In this category various standards regulating modes of
photovoltaic system functioning supervision or standards advising
planning and implementation of such systems can be found. The
category includes safety regulations, which have to be considered
upon photovoltaic systems implementation.
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Balance of System
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Standards for other parts/components of photovoltaic systems -
standards within this category refer to batteries, over-voltage protection
components and other system components not included in the categories mentioned
above.
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Solar glazing
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Standards in this section reffer to BIPV applications
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Monitoring
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This category include standards referring to remote control of
photovoltaic power plants.
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INTERNATIONAL STANDARDIZATION - TECHNICAL COMMITTEES
IEC TC82 -
IEC Technical Committee 82, Solar photovoltaic energy system.
ISO TC180 -
ISO Technical Committee 180, Solar Energy.
ASTM E44 -
ASTM Committee E44 on Solar, Geothermal and Other Alternative Energy Sources.
Each main committee in ASTM International is composed of subcommittees that address
specific segments within the general subject area covered by the technical
committee. For PV topics E44.09 Photovoltaic Electric Power Conversion
Subcommitte is responsible.
IEEE SCC21 -
IEEE SCC21 Standards Coordinating Committee on Fuel Cells, Photovoltaics,
Dispersed Generation, and Energy Storage.
SCC21 oversees the development of standards in the areas of fuel cells,
photovoltaics (PV), dispersed generation, and energy storage and coordinates
efforts in these fields among the various IEEE Societies and other affected
organizations to ensure that all standards are consistent and properly reflect
the views of all applicable disciplines.
SEMI -
The SEMI International Standards Program is one of the key services offered by
Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) for the benefit of the
worldwide semiconductor, photovoltaic (PV) and flat panel display (FPD)
industries.
PHOTOVOLTAIC PRODUCT TESTING AND QUALITY ASSURANCE
Photovoltaic module testing
TÜV
Rheinland - The work of TÜV is animated by the conviction that social and
industrial development cannot be achieved without technical progress. Proceeding
from 125 years of tradition and experience, our market activities are concentrated
especially in the five fields of Industrial Services, Mobility and Transport,
Product Safety and Quality, Education and Consulting, and New Business Development.
Website also available in:
TÜV SÜD America -
is a globally recognized testing, inspection and certification organization
offering the highest quality services for a wide range of industries worldwide.
Renewable Energy Test
Center - RETC, LLC is an engineering services, test and certification center
for solar and renewable energy products.
Fraunhofer
Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) - at present, Fraunhofer ISE has
four accredited testing units: the Test Centre for Solar Thermal Systems, the
Thermal-Optical Measurement Laboratory, the Test Centre for Photovoltaics and
the ISE Calibration Laboratory CalLab. Further service units include a test
facility for compact heating and ventilation units, a laboratory for quality
control of phase change materials (PCM) and a battery testing laboratory.
Website also available in:
ZSW -
ZSW provides: performance testing, stability testing, lifetime testing for your batteries, fuel cells, gas reformers, and solar modules. These tests are performed in our testing facilities and climatic exposure test cabinets in the laboratory or at our outdoor testing site, under real environmental or increased stress conditions.
Website also available in:
Arsenal
Research - the accredited testing services range from performance tests of PV
modules according to EN 60904-1 to tests of type aptitude and registration of
terrestrial PV modules with silicon solar cells (IEC/EN 61215), thin-film
cells (IEC/EN 61646) and tests according to the safety standard EN 61730.
Website also available in:
CENER -
the CENER laboratories are authorised to perform certification tests under
international standards of reference. This service is available for the different
technological areas.
Website also available in:
Photovoltaic Testing
Laboratory - Photovoltaic Testing Laboratory (PTL) at Arizona State University
was established in 1991. The main tasks are: develop a hands-on training laboratory
for graduate and undergraduate students, provide state-of-the-art laboratory
equipment with which faculty, staff, and students could perform research; establish
the capability to perform qualification testing per all relevant national and
international standards, including Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 1703; provide
PV module qualification testing services to the PV industry; provide related
applied research to the PV industry etc.
Florida Solar Energy
Center
- FSEC is one of the nation's leading certification and testing laboratories
for solar products and equipment. The center’s expertise is based on nearly 30
years experience conducting solar energy certification and testing programs,
the accreditation of PowerMark Corporation (PMC) and partnerships with such
national associations as the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and
Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), The National Association of State Energy
Offices (NASEO), and the Solar Rating & Certification Corporation (SRCC).
European Solar
Test Installation (ESTI) - Located in Ispra (Italy), the Institute for
Environment and Sustainability (IES) is one of the institutes that constitute
the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. In line with the JRC
mission, the aim of IES is to provide scientific and technical support to
European Union strategies for the protection of the environment contributing
to a sustainable development.
Swiss PV Module Test
Centre - ISAAC has over twenty years of experience in PV module testing and
since 2001 an ISO 17025 accreditation for performance measurements of PV modules.
Website also available in:
Photovoltaic products quality assurance
RAL Solar -
der Güteschutz-Solar beinhaltet eine umfassende Gütesicherung für
Solarenergieanlagen in den Bereichen Solarwärme (Solarthermie) und Solarstrom
(Photovoltaik). Dies wird durch ein detailliertes auf den anerkannten Regeln der
Technik und der guten fachlichen Praxis basierendes Regelwerk erreicht.
Website also available in:
PV GAP - is a not-for-profit
organization, registered in Switzerland, that certifies the quality of PV systems
and components. PV GAP also promotes the development and utilization of
internationally accepted standards that promote the integration of quality into
all aspects of PV energy delivery.
NREL Photovoltaic
Research - Measurements & Characterization.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
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Arndt, R., Puto, R.: Basic Understanding of
IEC
Standard Testing for Photovoltaic
Panels, inCompliance Magazine, April 2010.
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Using
UL Recognized Components in Your PV Modules,
An effective way to minimize your risk of noncompliance, Underwriter laboratories.
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OTHER WEBSITES
International Standardization
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International Electrotechnical Commision, IEC.
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European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization, CENELEC.
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American Society for Testing and Materials, ASTM.
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European Committee for Standardization, CEN.
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Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, IEEE.
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American National Standards Institute, ANSI.
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Underwriter Laboratories Inc., UL Standards.
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International Organisation for Standardization, ISO.
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National Electrotechnical Standardization
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Deutsches Institut für Normung, DIN.
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Union Technique de l'Électricité, UTE.
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Asociación Española de Normalizacion y Certificación, AENOR.
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Japanaese Standards Association, JSA.
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National Technical Societies
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Verein Deutscher Ingenieure, VDI.
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Verband der Elektrotechnik Elektronik Informationstechnik e.V., VDE.
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