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Standardizations, Testing, Certification of Renewable Energy Technologies :

 

 

Standardization of RETs components is must to avoid future premature failures. Some of the pioneering initiatives for sound technical specifications of different RETs components are described below.

Universal Technical Standard for Solar Home Systems, 1998 :

Quality Program for Photovoltaics  (QuaP-PV), 2000 : 

      Four manuals were produced under QuaP-PV, which are –

Technical Specifications for SHS, Bangladesh, 2002

 Salient Features

Quality Standards For Solar Home Systems And Rural Health Power Supply, 2000

 Salient Features 

            - System Layout

            - Components

            - Installation

            - Operation and Maintenance

            - Income-Generating Services 

VILLAGE HYDRO SPECIFICATIONS, SRI LANKA

Prepared for World Bank funded Renewable Energy Development Project of Sri Lanka

 Salient Features

 

 

 

International Organization for Standardization (ISO):

Standards Organizations :

 American Society for Testing & Materials (ASTM)
www.astm.org
ASTM is a not-for-profit organization that provides a forum for the development and publication of voluntary consensus standards for materials, products, systems and services. ASTM develops standard test methods, specifications, practices, guides, classifications, and terminology in 130 areas covering subjects such as metals, paints, plastics, textiles, petroleum, construction, energy, the environment, consumer products, medical services and devices, computerized systems, electronics, and many others

International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
www.iec.ch
The International Electrotechnical Commission is the international standards and conformity assessment body for all fields of electrotechnology. Founded in 1906, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the world organization that prepares and publishes international standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies. The IEC’s mission is to promote, through its members, international cooperation on all questions of electrotechnical standardization and related matters, such as the assessment of conformity to standards, in the fields of electricity, electronics and related technologies.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
 www.ieee.org
The IEEE is a non-profit, technical professional association. Through its members, the IEEE is a leading authority in technical areas ranging from computer engineering, biomedical technology and telecommunications, to electric power, aerospace and consumer electronics, among others. IEEE has more than 800 active standards with 700 under development.

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
 www.iso.ch
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies from some 130 countries, one from each country. ISO is a non-governmental organization established in 1947. The mission of ISO is to promote the development of standardization and related activities in the world with a view to facilitating the international exchange of goods and services, and to developing cooperation in the spheres of intellectual, scientific, technological and economic activity.

National Electrical Code (NEC)
National Fire Protection Association
 www.nfpa.org
For more than 100 years the National Fire Protection Association has been developing and updating codes and standards concerning all areas of fire safety. The National Electrical Code® provides "practical safeguarding of persons and property from hazards arising from the use of electricity." More specifically, the NEC® covers the installation of electric conductors and equipment in public and private buildings or other structures, industrial substations, and other premises. The NEC also covers installations of optical fiber cable. The National Electrical Code is adopted and enforced in all 50 states in the United States. It is also the basis for electrical codes in several foreign countries.

Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL)
 www.ul.com
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) is an independent, not-for-profit product safety testing and certification organization that has tested products for public safety for more than a century. The UL Mark on a product means that UL has tested and evaluated representative samples of that product and determined that they meet UL's safety requirements. These requirements are primarily based on UL's own published Standards for Safety. In addition, products are periodically checked by UL at the manufacturing facility to make sure they continue to meet UL requirements.

SOLAR STANDARDS ORGANIZATIONS

Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC)
 www.solar-rating.org
The Solar Rating and Certification Corporation currently administers a certification, rating, and labeling program for solar collectors and a similar program for complete solar water and swimming pool heating systems. SRCC’s certification program operating guidelines, test methods and minimum standards, and rating methodologies require the performance of nationally accepted equipment tests on solar equipment by independent laboratories which are accredited by SRCC. The test results and product data are evaluated by SRCC to determine the product’s compliance with the minimum standards for certification and to calculate the performance ratings. Equipment that has been certified and rated by SRCC is required to bear the SRCC certification label, which shows the performance rating for that product. In addition, each certified product is published by SRCC in a directory. Each product’s directory listing contains information on the product’s material and specifications as well as the certified thermal performance rating.

PowerMark Corporation (PMC)
 www.powermark.org
PowerMark Corporation was formed to provide PV manufacturers with a module certification program that, through the process of product labeling, attests to the module's quality. Product certification involves the formal process of licensing the manufacturer to use a Certificate of Conformity. This program involves the use of formal quality system criteria for the manufacturer, PMC itself, the test laboratories authorized to perform testing in support of the program, and the laboratory accreditation body selected by PMC. PMC's module certification program is based on both U.S. and international consensus-developed standards. Manufacturers are required to conform to selected elements of the ISO 9001 Quality Standard. Laboratories are required to be accredited to ISO Guide 25, and PMC has been configured to conform to the quality system requirements of ISO Guide 28 and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z34.1.

Global Approval Program for Photovoltaics (PV GAP)
 www.pvgap.org
The Global Approval Program for Photovoltaics, a not-for-profit international organization, promotes and encourages the use of internationally accepted standards, quality management processes and organizational training in the design, fabrication, installation, sales and services of PV systems. A PV GAP accreditation and certification program has been set up based on the ISO/IECQ system. (IECQ is the International Electrotechnical Commission Quality Assessment System for Electronic Components.) A PV Quality Mark has been established for PV components and a PV Quality Seal has been established for systems.