Qualification Testing of Photovoltaic Technologies
Most test procedures for photovoltaic modules contain two main aspects. In most cases a “design qualification and type approval” is combined with a “safety evaluation” as a requirement to place a product onto the major markets across the world. TÜV Rheinland PTL accredited laboratories perform these tests on client product samples to verify that they are in accordance with the relevant standards and requirements. The available qualification procedures are explained in the following paragraphs.
These standards vary based on the technology of the product. The test mark is issued for the application of selected test criteria. Which of the specified test criteria were applied is documented next to the test mark. Furthermore TÜV Rheinland PTL experts perform periodic quality and production control at the manufacturing site(s). Through this effort, it is ensured that all produced PV modules are manufactured with the same materials and processes and at the same quality level as the test samples tested at the laboratory.
UV Climate (changing of climates, coldness, warmth, humidity) Mechanical load (hail, wind suction, wind pressure, snow) The tests are judged to be passed, if after the qualification tests no major visual defects are detected and the output power has not or only slightly degraded from its initial value. The qualification certificate corresponding to IEC 61215 has gained acceptance in the past few years as the quality symbol for crystalline PV modules. Nowadays such a certificate is required for most national and international funding programs. The IEC 61215 standard was initially developed in 1993.
The second edition was published in April 2005. Though modules are still being qualified per the first edition as of December 2005, the full implementation of the second edition is around the corner. The major changes from the first edition apply to the Thermal Cycling test and Ultra-violet tests. The Twist test was removed and the Diode test added.
The IEC 61646 for thin-film PV modules is in many aspects identical to the international standard IEC 61215 for crystalline modules. The main difference between the two standards lays in the additional test procedures adapting to the special properties of thin-film technologies. These additional tests take the degradation behaviour of amorphous silicon due to temperature and irradiance exposure into account. The IEC 61646 standard was developed in 1996.
A new edition is now in the work, and issues regarding the CIS modules have been of great concerns lately, because the IEC 61646 was developed mostly with amorphous silicon technology in mind.
Specifies the minimum requirements for the design qualification and type approval of concentrator photovoltaic modules and assemblies suitable for long-term operation in general open-air climates.
The test sequence is partially based on that specified in IEC 61215. Determines the electrical, mechanical, and thermal characteristics of the CPV modules and assemblies and shows that the CPV modules and assemblies are capable of withstanding prolonged exposure in climates described in the scope.
NOT CURRENTLY RECOGNIZED – RETIRED STANDARD This standard was approved in March 17, 2001. As mentioned in its introduction, the standard "builds on a Sandia publication (SAND92-0958, “Evaluation Tests for Photovoltaic Concentrator Receiver Sections and Modules,” 1992), and follows the format of the recently completed IEEE Std 1262-1995 for flat plate PV modules".
NOT CURRENTLY RECOGNIZED – RETIRED STANDARD Recommended procedures and specifications for qualification tests that are structured to evaluate terrestrial flat-plate photovoltaic nonconcentrating modules intended for power generation applications are established in this IEEE standard.
