— Bratin Roy, Assistant Vice President,
Environment & Energy Services, TUV SUD
Thanks to the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, solar
energy is gaining prominence in India's renewable energy pursuits.
In this interaction with Electrical Monitor,
Bratin Roy discusses at
length the need and importance of testing & certification in the
solar power industry. Roy also explains how TUV SUD, due to its
fluency in electrical safety, can meet diverse testing & certifications
requirements.
With respect to the solar power sector, please discuss the
importance of testing & certification in the context of achieving
efficiency and safety.
The photovoltaic industry has experienced incredibly fast
transformation after year 2000 as a result of extraordinary
technology breakthrough, from material level up to large-scale
module manufacturing. With the PV industry expected to grow
consistently in the coming years, two main questions are
capturing the attention among market operators:
- What constitutes a "good quality" module? The answer is
"efficiency"
- How "reliable" it will be in the field? The answer is "safety"
Both, for now, remain unanswered in a comprehensive way.
The performance PV standards, namely IEC 61215 and IEC
61646, set specific test sequences, conditions and
requirements for the design qualification of a PV module. The
design qualification is deemed to represent the PV module's
performance capability under prolonged exposure to standard
climates (defined in IEC 60721-2-1). In addition, there are
several other standards (IEC 61730-1, IEC 61730-2 and
UL1703) that address the safety qualifications for a module. In
the certification field, design qualification is based on type
testing according to IEC, EN or other national standards.
When type testing is combined with periodic factory
inspections by a certification body constitutes the basis for the
certificates issued by that certification body (thus bearing their
particular mark/logo). This may constitute, to some extent, a
standard criterion for "basic quality". However, the term
"quality" is too generic, and often misused if only based on IEC
conformance. Another sensitive facet of "quality" is module's
"reliability" - a major concern for PV contractors/investors.
Reliability is neither defined, nor covered by the existing IEC
standards. The lack of reliability standards is partially due to
the fact that, to date, there are not enough statistical data
collected from the PV fields (even the "oldest" PV installations
still have to reach their 20/25-year lifetime, as per warranty).
Indeed, warranty is another critical issue. It is common practice in the market to sell/buy PV modules covered by a
20+ year warranty. The warranty is supposed to cover safe
operation (no electrical, thermal, mechanical and fire hazards)
and acceptable level of performance, i.e. limited power output
degradation (most declare 1 per cent Pmax loss per year).
Please summarize the various testing & certification services
offered by TUV-SUD in the solar power sector (electrical,
electronics, etc).
Some specific testing, inspection & certification services
provided by TUV SUD for key components in solar PV sector e.g.
PV modules, PV electrical components, PV material, balance of
system components etc, are:
PV Modules: IEC/EN 61215 (c-Si, performance); IEC/EN
61646 (thin-film, performance); IEC/EN 61730-1,-2 (c-Si & thinfilm,
safety)
PV Electrical Components: Junction Box: DIN V VDE V 0126-
5:2008; Connectors: EN 50521:2008; Cables: Draft DIN VDE AK
411.2.3:2008
PV Materials: Back sheet: Partial Discharge Test, IEC 61730-
2 (IEC 60664-1); EVA: peel test, gel content of lamination
Balance of System (BOS) Components: Inverters: IEC 62109,
EN 50178; Sun Trackers: Safety Test protocol (combination of
IEC standards)
Other services: R&D testing: standard or extended
environmental tests, Electroluminescence, thermo graphic
consultancy on PV laboratory requirements, PV laboratory
qualification for external, testing programmes with TUV SUD.
What is TUV SUD's current focus in Indian solar?
In India we are currently focusing more on consultancy,
technical advisory and project management activities as we
understand that there is a huge demand of expertise in
development of this kind of project in India. We, at TUV SUD,
posses a rich experience of consulting in solar and other
renewable projects due to our intensive work in this sector in
Europe since many years. However looking at the current
growth of solar power plants coming up in India under
Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), more
investment is under consideration by management in India in
future. The Mission has set a target of 20,000 mw and stipulates
implementation and achievement of the target by the year 2022.
Tell us more on the International Certification Bodies (CB)
Scheme and its acceptance in India.
The International CB Scheme was created to assist
manufacturers in gaining rapid approval for foreign markets,
which is vital to marketing a product globally. To overcome
international trade barriers for electrotechnical equipment, the
leading electrotechnical testing organizations worldwide joined
together to form the CB Scheme (Certification Bodies). The result
was the formation of the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) CB Scheme. For product testing you need to
cooperate with just one body like TÜV SÜD who will be help you
with testing and application for the other required national test
marks. If a product sample passes the testing procedures on the
basis of the IEC safety standards within the scope of the IEC-CB
Scheme, it will get an IEC-CB certificate. TÜV SÜD Product Service
GmbH is a member of the IECEE system and holds an
accreditation as accepting and issuing NCB. We lend you a hand
to obtain the IEC-CB certificate. We test your product samples,
perform factory inspections periodically and lend support in
obtaining the national certification marks in the other countries.
What is meant by Electromagnetic Compatibility? Please
describe the EMC testing market in India and its prospects as
gauged by TUV-SUD.
Electromagnetic disturbances produced by equipment or
systems pose a threat to human health and the environment.
This has led to mandatory Electromagnetic Compatibility
(EMC) testing in many countries. So you need to be confident
that all your radio and telecoms products are safe for market.
As one of the world's largest independent providers of EMC
testing, TÜV SÜD can assist with all your compliance
requirements. Supported by an extensive pool of EMC
engineers, we provide testing capabilities for all regions-from
North America and Europe to Asia and Australia. Right from the
design stage, we help you resolve any product issues and meet
any standard or law. Specific requests from your customers
can be dealt with.
Please summarize your outlook for TUV-SUD's Electricals and
Electronics testing business in India. What do you rate as the
key demand drivers?
All electrical and electronic products sold in markets around
the world must demonstrate that they function according to
existing electrical safety regulations and standards. These
standards and regulations differ from country to country, with
varying degrees of complexity.
At TÜV SÜD, we are fluent in the complex language of
electrical safety. Our testing facilities and expert staff around
the world provide electrical testing and certification services,
whether your need is on a local, country or global scale. Our
testing facilities and expert staff around the world provide
electrical testing and certification services, whether your need
is on a local, country or global scale. We cover electrical and
electro-magnetic compatibility (EMC) testing; performance
and endurance testing; and mechanical testing.