TÜV Rheinland certifies additional standard for North American market - Better market access for PV manufacturers

Since the end of June last year, TÜV Rheinland's testing laboratories have also been able to certify PV modules according to the American UL 61730 standard. The additional safety standards provide PV manufacturers with even better market access in the USA, and in combination with CAN/CSA-C22.2 certification also increases opportunities in the Canadian market. The TÜV Rheinland test laboratories have now been able to issue the first test marks for the United States and Canada.

One of the first cTUVus test marks for Canada and the USA has been awarded to PV manufacturer Qcells. The company is one of the world's leading clean energy producers, having had numerous PV modules as well as its global network of manufacturing facilities certified for the North American market by TÜV Rheinland's testing laboratories. "The expanded listing of our testing laboratories for the U.S. will enable Qcells, as a manufacturer of PV modules, to obtain even better approval for its products in the future," says Lukas Jakisch, segment manager at TÜV Rheinland. "The company will benefit from the wide range of solar services TÜV Rheinland offers as a one-stop service for the IEC 61215 series and IEC / UL 61730 / CAN/CSA certification programs. Certification breaks down trade barriers and makes market access possible in the first place."

PV manufacturers benefit from expanded listing of testing laboratories

Certification by TÜV Rheinland's testing laboratories can significantly improve global export opportunities for manufacturers targeting the global market. The test labs' additional listing for the UL 61730 series of standards includes testing requirements for both construction and fire testing as absolutely mandatory safety standards for photovoltaic modules. These standards are of enormous importance for PV products in North America, as they ensure their quality and safe operation, and are generally mandatory for installation.

"The combined testing of our PV modules according to the IEC, UL and CAN/CSA standards by TÜV Rheinland significantly simplifies the approval process of our products for us," explains Dr. Thoralf Harder, Head of R&D Modules & Systems at Qcells. "Thanks to the standardization, a large piece of bureaucracy is eliminated that would otherwise be incurred with several different certification bodies for the main markets. Effort and costs are reduced and the speed of approval is increased. We can introduce our products into different markets more quickly and prove that they meet the locally applicable high quality and safety regulations and also reliability requirements."