Renewable Energy Test Center

Transcription

1 Renewable Energy Test Center Certification Services: IEC61215 IEC61646 IEC62108 IEC60904 IEC61730 UL1703 UL1741 BOS Component Testing: Junction Boxes, Cables, Connectors, Inverters Outdoor Performance Validation: Energy Yield Validation, Soiling, Degradation and Site Commissioning Solar Retreat Mission Solar 10/26/2017 Renewable Energy Test Center

2 Certification Government regulation o UL 1703 is the key standard o Certification is used to ensure the product is safe o Don t start a fire. Don t Electrocute anyone. Financial Requirement o Don t start a fire. Don t Electrocute anyone o And Pay off loan. And make a profit. And have the option to resell the project. o Developers and Banks invest on products if they know they will last long enough to get a good return o Banks: Investment Risk Mitigation They want to make sure the product will perform well until their loan is paid back (7-10 years) o Developers: Residual Value Requirement First requirement is to generate enough revenue to sustain the project and pay back. Second requirement: Residual Value. Project/modules have to have enough life left to be able to resell the project www-retc-ca.com 2

3 Product Development Cycle New Product Introduction 3-6 months Certification Process 3 months Performance Reliability Safety Market Requirement STC NOCT Low Light Temp Co Thermal Cycling Damp Heat Humidity Freeze Mechanical Load Impact Testing Impulse Testing Fire Testing Reverse Current Product Optimization Product Definition Internal Testing Product Design Bankability: Extended reliability testing 3 months Performance Reliability Material Sourcing STC NOCT Low Light Temp Co Thermal Cycling Damp Heat Humidity Freeze Mechanical Load www-retc-ca.com 3

4 Certification Testing Certification Types UL1703: o Required in the USA By local governments o Mainly safety centric IEC o Performance and Reliability o World wide requirement o Required by US banks and developers IEC o International version of the UL1703 Certification Benefits Typical Certification o Prediction of module performance for about years in the field Basic Requirement o Must have in order to sell Standardized o Everyone is assessed on the same tests www-retc-ca.com 4

5 UL 1703 Certification Flow Humidity Freeze 10 Cycles -40C/85C, 85%RH Thermal Cycling 200 cycles -40C to 85C Water Spray Push Test Fire Test HiPot HiPot HiPot Leakage Current Leakage Current Leakage Current Leakage Current Wet HiPot Wiring Compartment Securrement Wet HiPot Wiring Compartment Securrement UL1703 is in essence a safety standard - No risk of electric shock - No risk of fire Wet HiPot Wet HiPot No performance degradation requirement www-retc-ca.com 5

6 IEC Certification Flow IEC Test Protocol Preconditioning 5kWhr/m2 IEC Test Protocol Addition to Pre-tests Measurement of Temperature Coefficients UV Preconditioning Thermal Cycling 200 cycles -40C to 85C Damp Heat 1000 Hrs 85C, 85%RH Fire Tests Module Breakage Partial Discharge NOCT Thermal Cycling 50 Cycles -40C to 85C Wet Leakage Current Performance at STC & NOCT Performance at Low Irraidance Humidity Freeze 10 Cycles -40C/85C, 85%RH Robustness of Terminations Mechanical Load Hail Test Terminal Knock out Test Bypass Diode Thermal Test Temperature Test Bypass Diode Thermal Test Hot-Spot Endurance Visual Inspection Maximum Power Determination Insulation Test Wet Leakage Mechanical Load Impulse Voltage Reverse Current Overload www-retc-ca.com 6

7 Basics of Certifications Reliability Thermal Cycling Humidity Freeze Damp Heat Environmental Chamber Testing o Thermal Cycling o Damp Heat o Humidity Freeze www-retc-ca.com 7

8 Accelerated Stress Tests Accelerated Stress Test Thermal Cycles Damp Heat Humidity Freeze Failure Mode Broken interconnect Broken cells Electrical bond failure Junction box adhesion Module open circuit potential for arcing Corrosion Delamination Encapsulant loss of adhesion & elasticity Junction box adhesion Electrochemical corrosion of TCO Inadequate edge deletion Delamination Junction box adhesion Inadequate edge deletion Technology Cry-Si & CPV Cry-Si & CPV All All All All All All All TF TF All All TF Source: (NREL) www-retc-ca.com 8

9 Accelerated Stress Tests Accelerated Stress Test UV Test Static Mechanical Load (Simulation of wind and snow load) Dynamic Mechanical Load Failure Mode Delamination Encapsulant loss of adhesion & elasticity Encapsulant & backsheet discoloration Ground fault due to backsheet degradation Degradation of Optics Structural failures Broken glass Broken interconnect ribbons Broken Cells Electrical bond failures Broken glass Broken interconnect ribbons Broken Cells Electrical bond failures Technology All All All All CPV All Cry-Si & TF All Cry-Si & CPV All Cry-Si & TF All Cry-Si & CPV All Source: (NREL) www-retc-ca.com 9

10 Accelerated Stress Tests Accelerated Stress Test Hot spot test Hail Test Failure Mode Hot spots Shunts in cells or at scribe lines Inadequate by-pass diode protection Broken glass Broken cells Broken Optics All All All Cry-Si & TF Cry-Si CPV By-pass Diode Thermal Test By-pass diode failures Overheating of diode causing degradation of encapsulant, backsheet or junction box Salt Spray Corrosion due to salt water & salt mist Corrosion due to salt used for snow and ice removal All All All All Source: (NREL) www-retc-ca.com 10

11 Chamber Loading www-retc-ca.com 11

12 Basics of Certifications - Performance Performance Testing involves two main components: o Light o Temperature Indoor flash testers used for consistency Varying temperature o This will provide an assessment of the module conditions in the field www-retc-ca.com 12

13 Basics of Certifications Safety: Impact Ensures module does NOT cause injury when impacted by an object or person o No large pieces of glass o No exposed electrical circuit www-retc-ca.com 13

14 Basics of Certifications Reliability: Mechanical Load www-retc-ca.com 14

15 Photovoltaics Extended Reliability and Durability Beyond Certification Certification Services: IEC61215 IEC61646 IEC62108 IEC60904 IEC61730 UL1703 UL1741 BOS Component Testing: Junction Boxes, Cables, Connectors, Inverters Outdoor Performance Validation: Energy Yield Validation, Soiling, Degradation and Site Commissioning Renewable Energy Test Center

16 Extended Reliability Testing Start Performance Measurement (STC) Performance at low irradiance Visual Inspection Electroluminescence Hipot Wet Leakage Damp Heat DH C / 85% Dynamic Mechanical Load 1000 Cycles Thermal Cycle TC200-40C / 80C PID 100 hrs 85C/85% RH V / V UV Exposure 45 60C Damp Heat DH C / 85% Thermal Cycle TC50-40C / 80C Thermal Cycle TC200-40C / 80C PID 100 hrs 85C/85% RH V / V UV Exposure 45 60C Humidity Freeze HF10-40C / 85%RH Thermal Cycle TC200-40C / 80C PID 300 hrs 85C/85% RH V / V Report www-retc-ca.com 16

17 Dynamic Mechanical Load www-retc-ca.com 17

18 Extended Reliability Testing MISSION Solar Start Performance Measurement (STC) Performance at low irradiance Visual Inspection Electroluminescence Hipot Wet Leakage Damp Heat DH C / 85% Damp Heat DH C / 85% Dynamic Mechanical Load 1000 Cycles Thermal Cycle TC50-40C / 80C Humidity Freeze HF10-40C / 85%RH Thermal Cycle TC200-40C / 80C Thermal Cycle TC200-40C / 80C Thermal Cycle TC200-40C / 80C PID 100 hrs 85C/85% RH V / V PID 100 hrs 85C/85% RH V / V PID 300 hrs 85C/85% RH V / V UV Exposure 45 60C UV Exposure 45 60C Mission Solar Results Avg. Degradation % TC % TC400 (cum) -0.79% TC600 (cum) -1.55% DH % DH2000 (cum) -2.22% DH3000 (cum) -4.87% UV % HF % HF20 (cum) -3.55% HF30 (cum) -2.54% DML-TC-HF -0.39% PID % PID % Salt Spray -0.34% Report www-retc-ca.com 18

19 Damp Heat with System Bias % 0.00% % % % % % % www-retc-ca.com 19

20 Failures observed on OTHER products www-retc-ca.com 20

21 Possible PV Cell Corrosion IEC extended testing + degradation rate testing (as part of mitigation), EL darkening correlating with fill factor loss starting at DH www-retc-ca.com 21

22 Defects found through Electroluminescence Diode failure at TC400 2-diodes fail at TC600 www-retc-ca.com 22

23 Defects found through Electroluminescence Shattered cells likely due from mishandling. Glass on module is un-shattered, but visual cell trails are seen throughout module www-retc-ca.com 23

24 Moisture Damage (Damp Heat) www-retc-ca.com 24

25 Why Bankability? PV as a commodity Commodity product o Competition on price o Difficult to control the overall price How to sell more? o Reduce prices o Provide More value Increased energy production Competitive landscape o All products are now certified o Low cost product Competitive Edge Either reduce prices o Compete with goods sold at a lower price than it cost to produce yours Or provide more value o Differentiation: o Power Output o Quality o Reliability Upfront cost vs cost of ownership www-retc-ca.com 25

26 How and where to test Inhouse vs Independent 3 rd party testing Inhouse In house testing is usually performed o In house qualification o Ongoing monitoring o Standard practice for high quality products Risk of bias o No company will publish their failures as a means to negotiate a deal Third Party Testing No incentive for bias o Data is data o Full transparency o Trusted by: Financial institutions Independent Engineering Firms Developers EPC Firms Etc Bad data is not necessarily published o But it is concealed www-retc-ca.com 26

27 Certification vs Bankability Certification Design Type Approval o modules tested o Ability for a manufacturer to produce a good product o This does NOT guarantee that all products will be perfect o Manufacturer s own quality systems and quality controls will ensure consistency o Sometimes performed on prototypes Price to enter the market o UL: By regulation o IEC: Financial Bankability Produced modules for shipment o Often times sampled from the site Statistical sampling o Normally from 100K s of modules o Various manufacturing lines o Various shifts o Various shipping vessels o Various bill of materials Confidence Levels o 90%, 95%, 98% o Sample sizes: up to 22 per test www-retc-ca.com 27

28 Renewable Energy Test Center Certification Services: IEC61215 IEC61646 IEC62108 IEC60904 IEC61730 UL1703 UL1741 BOS Component Testing: Junction Boxes, Cables, Connectors, Inverters Outdoor Performance Validation: Energy Yield Validation, Soiling, Degradation and Site Commissioning Company Overview Renewable Energy Test Center

29 Renewable Energy Test Center RETC is an Engineering Services, Test and Certification Provider for Photovoltaic and Solar Energy Products www-retc-ca.com 29

30 About RETC RETC, LLC (Renewable Energy Test Center, LLC) is an engineering services and a certification testing provider for photovoltaic and renewable energy products. RETC is TÜV SÜD s exclusive PV Test Laboratory in North America and a Global Partner. RETC is also a qualified PV Test Laboratory by: o Intertek (UL 1703 & ULC/ORD-c1703, UL 2703, UL 3703, UL 1741) under its RTL program o TUV Rheinland (UL 1703 & ULC/ORD-c1703, UL 2703, UL 3703,IEC 61215, IEC 61730, IEC 61646, IEC 62108, IEC62688) o VDE and TUV Intercert (IEC 61215, IEC 61730, IEC 61646, IEC 62108, IEC62688 ) These partnerships with globally known brand name IEC and UL Standards NRTLs, complement RETC s strategies o o Deliver a One-Stop-Shop capabilities to support the growing needs for 3 rd Party PV testing/ Bankability, Outdoor Testing and Certification services. Create maximum value to our Customers from: R&D to Market to Bankability www-retc-ca.com 30

31 RETC Accreditations RETC has a CBTL Status for a PV Certification Testing Laboratory which is the highest accreditation in the IECEE scheme. RETC s IEC Certification Test Reports for several IEC test standards for All PV Technologies such as; IEC 61215, IEC 6146, IEC 61730, IEC 62108, IEC 62688, IEC 61853, IEC 61701, IEC 62716, IEC 62804, IEC 62817, IEC are accepted by NCB s who participates in the CB Scheme globally. RETC is ISO accredited by A2LA, an ILAC affiliated laboratory and one of the short list of PV Test Laboratories qualified to perform parametric testing for: o o o o o o epbi for California Energy Commission, module performance CEC Listing Australia: Clean Energy Council AS5033 Compliant Module testing FSEC: Florida Solar Energy Commission UK: Module Performance MCS Listing Japan: JET Listing CQC or CGC: China General Certification www-retc-ca.com 31

32 RETC Offers Customer Solutions Beyond Certification Being located in the Heart of the Silicon Valley, RETC is positioned for early engagement with Customers during their product R&D stages. o Engineering Services : Research and Development, Product Reliability Engineering o RETC s highly experienced PV engineers provides product characterization at cell and module levels. o Customers can take advantage of RETC s automated testers where PV modules can be tested at tighter test conditions with automated controls, over and above the IEC and UL Test Standards test specifications. RETC also offers Outdoor Endurance Testing capabilities to support the growing needs for a thirdparty performance validation and monitoring of PV products > Bankability o Including BOS devices (tracker accuracy monitoring, inverters, Jbox / connectors-cables) o String level or panel level, small scale energy validation and degradation analysis o Multiple Test Sites to provide energy production at different weather pattern, soiling studies, etc. o California: Mild-Warm Sunny weather conditions to support Silicon Valley R&D testing services Nevada: desert / southwest weather conditions Philippines: tropical high temperature and high humidity Chile and India, two regions where the PV market is experiencing growing demand On-Customer-Site Outdoor Testing and Data Collection services www-retc-ca.com 32

33 3 rd Party Product Quality, Performance and Durability Validation: Product Bankability To support the growing need for a 3 rd Party validation and oversight of PV modules Quality and Durability deployed to the project sites, RETC offers the following: o Module long term product reliability / durability verification beyond IEC based on Qualification Plus (NREL) and The Thresher Test. Supplier Fabrication Quality : A validation / oversight of the Quality Assurance and Control of the PV manufacturer during production Supply Quality and Durability : Actual samples shipped to the project site are subjected to PV Module performance / panel power rating validation and long term durability verification Note: RETC spearheaded The Thresher Test with solar energy professionals in 2009 which became the spring board for the Qualification Plus-NREL o Module performance rating validation of PV modules per IEC AOI / IAM coefficient measurement PVSyst PANFile generation based on parametric test data Reflectance angle measurement o Other product bankability tests: Salt Spray, Ammonia, Sand Storm www-retc-ca.com 33

34 BOS Testing Services Aside from certification testing of PV panels, RETC also tests BOS devices: o Racking systems (UL 2703) o Trackers / tracker control units / systems (UL 3703, UL 1741) o Inverters / micro-inverters / AC Modules (UL 1741) o and other renewable energy product components / PV BOM i.e.; long term reliability of connectors, backsheet, EVA, etc. RETC brings value from R&D - to Market Entry - to Bankability, focusing on providing "Unequaled Time-to-Market" as a key component of Customer Value-Chain www-retc-ca.com 34

35 RETC Value Proposition Enable Customers to meet Time-to-Market Strategic early engagement during R&D stages Certification Cycle Time improvement, Customers should not have to wait >3mos NCBs/NRTLs Partnership with Brand and Prestige provides WW market acceptance Outdoor PV Performance Validation in California, Nevada, India, Chile, Philippines Certification Design-Type IEC60904 Certification IEC61215 UL1741 Certification IEC61215, IEC61646, IEC62108 Certification UL1703/8703 IEC61730 IEC62688 Certification Factory Certification Syst. Controls UL1741 Bankability Silicon Wafer Solar Cell Mod- BOM, Tech Equipment BOM Changes Module <75 days for IEC and <60 days for UL 1703 Certification TAT Systems Accredited Certified Lab in the Silicon Valley Lead Time: Fast track at NO added cost Support on time market introduction of new technologies, NPI RETC supports Bankability test data requirements of Financial Institutions, IE s, Developers, EPCs PVSyst PANFile generation / validation Product long term durability and reliability Thresher Test, Qualification Plus and outdoor energy performance validation www-retc-ca.com 35

36 25 year life Solar Industry Ecosystem Supply Chain / Dependencies / Landscape Banks Independent Engineering Firms (IE s) Banks IE s Local AHJ EPC Banks IE s Local AHJ Supply > demand Price LOW Backsheets EVA Glass Jbox/Cables 60% of module cost Design for Cert Design for Rel Design for Perf. PAN files String inverters Micro inverters Racks, Trackers Project Engineering Design Commissioning Long term perf. O&M Ingot / Casting / Wafers BOM Cells Modules Systems Design & Install Site Buy-Off No role Supplier QM Qualification tion Certification Durability (SUV) Qualification tion Certification Qualification tion Certification Durability Outdoor LTOE Certification UL2703 Racking UL 3703 BOS Testing Monitoring Eng. Support Syst. Validation LID Data PANFile IAM Curve tracing Calibration Validation Field FA-IR/IV RETC offers expertise, cost-effective solutions across supply chain www-retc-ca.com 36

37 RETC Brings Value: From R&D to Market Entry We help shorten R&D Cycle ->Time-to-Market -> Increase Revenue Potential The Customer Value Chain : Unequaled Time-to-Market Phase 1 R&D Time to knowledge, Design Acceleration Phase 2A Outdoor Performance Phase 2B Pre-certification Testing Phase 3 Certification Phase 4 Bankability Commercialization 3 months 6 months 2 months 3 months 3-4 months Design/construction review, initial performance, reliability validation & assessment (Initial "Look Ahead", ability to detect performance weakness, infant mortality Fail Fast ) Outdoor Performance/ Energy Output Data Collection and Competition Benchmarking Pre-Qualification (Phase 2A and 2B maybe performed in parallel). Determine product certification viability per test standards Certification Submission PVSyst PANFile Generation / Validation and Long Term Product Durability Testing; Indoor and Outdoor www-retc-ca.com 37

38 www-retc-ca.com 38

39 RETC is in Sunny Silicon Valley 26,000 sq. ft. world class test facility visible from I Landing Parkway, Fremont, California, www-retc-ca.com 39

40 Thank you! Contact Information: Alelie Funcell Cherif Kedir Certification Services: IEC61215 IEC61646 IEC62108 IEC60904 IEC61730 UL1703 UL1741 BOS Component Testing: Junction Boxes, Cables, Connectors, Inverters Outdoor Performance Validation: Energy Yield Validation, Soiling, Degradation and Site Commissioning Renewable Energy Test Center