Solar Energy Standardization - Technical Committees

IEC Technical Committee TC82 was established in 1981. It is the most important International body regarding photovoltaic related standardization. The main tasks of TC82 are to prepare international standards for systems of photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into electrical energy and for all the elements in the entire photovoltaic energy system. TC82 has several working groups - each group is responsible for specific standardisation related topic (glossary, non concentrating modules, BOS, PV energy storage systems and concentrator modules). For further information about TC82 please visit IEC website. ASTM Committee E44 on Solar, Geothermal and Other Alternative Energy Sources 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. For further information about ASTM E44 please visit ASTM website.

Technical Committees - Links

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

TÜV Rheinland - The work of TÜV is animated by the conviction that social and industrial development cannot be achieved without technical progress.

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.

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.

CENER - the CENER laboratories are authorised to perform certification tests under international standards of reference. This service is available for the different technological areas.

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.

NREL Photovoltaic Research - Measurements & Characterization.

Photovoltaic Products & Systems 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.

Additional Information

	Arndt, R., Puto, R.: Basic Understanding of IEC Standard Testing for Photovoltaic Panels, inCompliance Magazine, April 2010.
	Using UL Recognized Components in Your PV Modules, An effective way to minimize your risk of noncompliance, Underwriter laboratories.

International Electrotechnical Standardization

	International Electrotechnical Commision, IEC.
	European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization, CENELEC.
	American Society for Testing and Materials, ASTM.
	European Committee for Standardization, CEN.
	Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, IEEE.
	American National Standards Institute, ANSI.
	Underwriter Laboratories Inc., UL Standards.
	International Organisation for Standardization, ISO.

National Electrotechnical Standardization

	Deutsches Institut für Normung, DIN.
	Union Technique de l'Électricité, UTE.
	Asociación Española de Normalizacion y Certificación, AENOR.
	Japanaese Standards Association, JSA.

National Technical Societies

	Verein Deutscher Ingenieure, VDI.
	Verband der Elektrotechnik Elektronik Informationstechnik e.V., VDE.