TÜV Rheinland PTL History
TÜV Rheinland PTL is currently a fully operational testing and certification laboratory run by TÜVReinland® Group of companies. TÜVReinland® is the leading test organization for photovoltaic technology globally testing over 60% of the photovoltaic technology on the market today.
In our prior years, TÜV Rheinland PTL existed as the only major test facility for many of the American based testing companies. TÜV Rheinland PTL was instrumental in the development of many of the major standards in the marketplace today.
Here is a short overview of our long history:
PTL Origins
October 21, 1991: Letter from Bob Hammond to Dr. Chuck Backus: "...Wouldn't you like to have an internationally recognized PV module qualification facility located at Arizona State University?"
November 25, 1991: Dr. Backus, Dr. Wood, and Mr. Bob Hammond met at Denny's (fast food restaurant) in Tempe, Arizona; and agreed to establish a "Photovoltaic Testing Laboratory" (PTL) at Arizona State University (ASU) with a start date of January 1, 1992. The objectives were defined as followed:
- 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 related to Photovoltaic (PV) module reliability, durability, and performance;
- 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;
- Develop a partnership between Arizona State University and the PV industry;
- Develop a close working relationship with the national laboratories and electric utilities; and
- Eventually expand the laboratory to include an all PV balance of system components and PV systems (stand-alone and grid-connected PV systems).
The Center for Energy Systems Research (CESR), an organization within the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, was the administrative unit which supported the establishment and development of the PTL.
The CESR hired Bob Hammond as the program director on January 2, 1992. On December 9, 1991, Mr. Bob Hammond received an offer letter from the CESR to serve as the program director, the main task being to "…work with the Center to develop a self-sustaining Photovoltaic Performance and Qualification Test Facility".
Left-to-right: Dr. Charles Backus, Mr. Bob Hammond, and Dr. Byard Wood.
Arizona State University's PTL (ASU-PTL) Evolution
Two events occurred in 1992 that established the beginning of the PTL in terms of hardware: First, Marjorie Tatro of Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) provided Arizona State University with a contract to develop the "ideal" hail impact tester. The contract included a list of "best effort" specifications and no constraints on the product design. Two undergraduate students, David Gavin and Ryan Sanders, developed a conceptual design and prototype for Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering (MAE) 490 course credit.
With the assistance of the Arizona State University Engineering Lab Services model shop, Mr. Gavin and Mr. Sanders created a prototype that evolved into a product that met all of the SNL requirements for the ideal hail impact tester. A third individual, Nick Gilbert, played a key role in the final stages of design and construction of the tester. At this time, an additional test station was constructed for use at PTL. This placed Arizona State University in the unique position of being the only non-government laboratory in the world with a PV module hail impact tester. Secondly, Marjorie Tatro provided Arizona State University with a surplus environmental chamber. This chamber, originally used by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for PV module environmental tests, was shipped to Arizona State University in mid 1992 and installed at Arizona State University over the next twelve months.
From October 1993 to December 1995, the PTL worked under contract to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, DOE). The purpose of this contract was to develop the criteria for PV module certification and laboratory accreditation. The "Photovoltaic Module Certification / Laboratory Accreditation Criteria Development: Implementation Handbook" (figure 2) was published in 1996. The criteria were then implemented: Mr. Gene Zerlaut, Mr. Steve Chalmers, and Mr. Bob Hammond established PowerMark Corporation (PMC) with their own time and funds, and then turned the organization over to the PV industry.
Developing the tools - PV Certification Handbook
As the PTL continued to evolve, a variety of related contract work was performed. This work included PV module characterization, hot spot endurance testing and hail impact testing. In 1994, another essential piece of testing equipment was developed by an undergraduate student. Mr. Paul Lyons, working for MAE 490 independent study credit, designed and developed a dynamic load tester. Mr. Lyons completed the conceptual design and prototype in December 1994. Mr. Kent Whitfield, who joined the PTL in 1995, refined the dynamic load tester and built the final laboratory test station.
Following this stage of development, the PTL began contractual testing with the new test station. By June of 1995, the PTL was fully equipped to perform the full Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1262 and much of the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 1703 qualification test series. At this time, a multi-client program was initiated to test per IEEE 1262, IEEE Recommended Practice for Qualification of Photovoltaic (PV) Modules for two manufacturers and UL 1703, Standard for Safety - Flat Plate Photovoltaic Modules and Panels for three module manufacturers. This test program established the Arizona State University- PTL as the only non-government laboratory in the United States with the capability to perform all of the tests required by IEEE 1262, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61215, JPL Block V, and UL 1703.
Two important events occurred in the summer of 1996: (1) The first multi-client qualification test program was completed in June; (2) and in July the PTL moved to the new Arizona State University East (Arizona State University) campus in Mesa. (figure 3) The move to the Polytechnic campus provided the space required to fully develop an international testing laboratory. An organizational change also occurred at this time with PTL now reporting to the Electronic and Computer Engineering Technology Department (ECET), a unit of the College of Technology and Innovation (CTAS).
In August of 1996, an additional environmental chamber, manufactured by Russell's Technical Products, was installed at the new lab facility. This was just in time to begin the Springborn Testing and Research (STR) contract. STR operated under contract to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which in turn was funded by the Department of Energy (DOE). NREL then subcontracted to Arizona State University to conduct qualification tests and outdoor exposure tests on modules using new formulations of ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA).
Arizona State University started the IEEE 1262 qualification-testing program for STR in July 1996 and completed these tests in January 1997. In addition to IEEE 1262 testing, Arizona State University, in conjunction with Arizona Public Service (APS), is conducting long-term outdoor exposure testing at the APS Solar Test and Research (STAR) center for modules made with the new EVA formulations. The outdoor exposure testing is expected to continue for up to 20 years.
In December 1996, the PTL applied for accreditation to the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA). A2LA was chosen for this task because it is one of two agencies within the U.S. recognized to accredit laboratories to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Guide 25, General Requirements for the Competence of Calibration and Testing Laboratories. This accreditation would also recognize Arizona State University-PTL's compliance with the relevant International Standards Organization (ISO) 9000 series of standards as well as PV-1, Criteria for a Model Quality System for Laboratories Engaged in Testing Photovoltaic Modules. The A2LA audit was completed on March 21, 1997. The audit resulted in a total of eleven deficiencies (the majority of which were the result of calibration laboratories that the PTL used) and these deficiencies were corrected by June 3, 1997. Accreditation was awarded on June 23, 1997 and made the PTL one of only three laboratories in the world that are officially recognized as testing laboratories in the field of photovoltaics. Accreditation is being successfully renewed every two years.
In addition to serving the photovoltaic industry with PV module testing services, the laboratory has trained many undergraduate students and graduate students in photovoltaic testing procedures. In September 1998, a classroom was established within the PTL facility. This classroom enables the PTL to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of formal classroom training.
As of the fall of 1996, Arizona State University's third campus, Arizona State University East (Arizona State University), began operation with degree programs offered in both the College of Technology and the School of Agribusiness and Resource Management. The Arizona State University campus was created from the acquisition of property from the Williams Air Force Base, located at 6001 South Power Road in Mesa, Arizona. The Arizona State University philosophy is to offer students a unique learning environment that has been termed an academic village. This village, which encompasses the Williams Campus, is composed of Arizona State University, Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Emery-Riddle Aeronautical University, Mesa Community College and industry-supporting laboratories such as the U.S. Air Force's Armstrong Laboratory and the Photovoltaic Testing Laboratory (PTL). This unique learning environment allows students to take courses offered through all local colleges as well as to supplement their learning with experience from contract laboratories.
Dr. Mani (Govindasamy Tamizhmani) joined PTL as Laboratory Manager in June 1999 and was promoted to the Director of PTL in January 2000. Under his leadership, PTL grew from three (3) full time employees and 2 students to fourteen (14) full time employees and 16 student workers.
Dr. Mani (Govindasamy Tamizmani) during a tour of the PTL.
In 2000, a third environmental chamber was installed. This chamber was designed specifically for "Thermal Shock" tests of PV modules. With three chambers online, all three environmental tests (temperature cycling, humidity-freeze, and damp heat) can be conducted in parallel, reducing the total qualification test time from 110 days to 90 days. In August 2001, Arizona State University-PTL was qualified by Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) to participate in its Third Party Test Data Program. The program allows PTL to perform qualified safety testing on photovoltaic modules to the UL 1703 standard. The test results are then reported directly to UL after test performance. This helps the PV manufacturer by providing faster quotation response time from PTL, and full test witnessing by UL will no longer be required. The UL Qualification was successfully renewed every year.
Dr. Mani efforts extended to testing fuel cells, membranes, catalysts and MEA. By 2003, PTL technical capabilities and exclusivity included: First laboratory testing a residential fuel cell system in Arizona; First academic research laboratory to develop a unique UPS based on fuel cell capable of supporting a computer for up to 192 hours; First laboratory to develop a thermal test bed (TTB) for the outdoor testing and energy rating of PV modules; Only university laboratory in the united states to consistenly participate in the PV standards development activities
In 2008, PTL further expanded its operations to meet the demands of the unprecedented growth of the PV industry. New outdoor and indoor testing facilities were installed. Three high-resolution, two-axis trackers were added to meet the requirements of the new IEC62108 concentrating PV standard.
ASU-PTL facility.