Solar module quality assurance involves testing and evaluating solar cells to ensure the quality requirements of them are met. Solar modules (or panels) are expected to have a long service life between 20 and 40 years. They must constantly and consistently deliver the power expected. In addition, modules are exposed to a wide array of weather conditions along with usage in differ climates. Therefore it is critical to determine if a module is capable of performing over many decades with exposure to differing conditions. Solar modules can be tested through a combination of physical

Physical

Physical may refer to:*Body, the physical structure of an organism**Human body, the physical structure of a human*Physical abuse, abuse involving contact intended to cause feelings of intimidation, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm...

tests, laboratory

Laboratory

A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...

 studies, and numerical analyses. Furthermore, solar modules need to be assessed throughout the different stages of their life cycle

Life cycle

Life cycle or lifecycle may refer to: * Biological life cycle* Enterprise life cycle* Life cycle assessment* New product development* Product lifecycle , various meanings* Project life cycle...

. Various companies such as SGS Consumer Testing Services

SGS Consumer Testing Services

SGS Consumer Testing Services is one of the 10 divisions of the Geneva-based SGS S.A. Group , which operates with more than 59,000 employees over 1,000 offices and laboratories around the world. provides a complete range of services, from textile to appliances, furniture, food, and electronics,...

, TÜV Rheinland

TÜV Rheinland

TÜV Rheinland is a global provider of technical, safety and certification services. Originally called the Dampfkessel-Überwachungs-Vereine , TÜV Rheinland was founded in 1872 and has its headquarters in Cologne, Germany...

, CSA

CSA

-Agriculture, Farming, and Food:* Community Supported Agriculture* Community Shared Agriculture-Politics, Administration and Military:* Confederate States of America* Canadian Securities Administrators* Canadian Space Agency* Canadian Standards Association...

 Solar International provide services in solar module quality assurance.

Stages of testing

The lifecycle stages of testing solar modules can include: the conceptual phase, manufacturing

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...

 phase, transportation and installation, commissioning phase, and the in-service phase.

Conceptual phase

The first stage can involves design verification where the expected output of the module is tested through computer simulation. Further, the modules ability to withstand natural environment conditions such as temperature

Temperature

Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...

, rain

Rain

Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...

, hail

Hail

Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is referred to as a hail stone. Hail stones on Earth consist mostly of water ice and measure between and in diameter, with the larger stones coming from severe thunderstorms...

,
snow

Snow

Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...

, corrosion

Corrosion

Corrosion is the disintegration of an engineered material into its constituent atoms due to chemical reactions with its surroundings. In the most common use of the word, this means electrochemical oxidation of metals in reaction with an oxidant such as oxygen...

, dust

Dust

Dust consists of particles in the atmosphere that arise from various sources such as soil dust lifted up by wind , volcanic eruptions, and pollution...

, lightning

Lightning

Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...

, horizon

Horizon

The horizon is the apparent line that separates earth from sky, the line that divides all visible directions into two categories: those that intersect the Earth's surface, and those that do not. At many locations, the true horizon is obscured by trees, buildings, mountains, etc., and the resulting...

 and near-shadow effects is tested. The layout for design

Design

Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...

 and construction

Construction

In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...

 of the module and the quality of components and installation can also be tested at this stage.

Manufacturing phase

Inspecting manufacturers of components is carried through visitation. The inspection can include assembly checks, material testing supervision and Non Destructive Testing (NDT). Certification is carried our according to ANSI/UL1703, IEC 17025, IEC 61215, IEC 61646, IEC 61701 and IEC 61730-1/-2.

Transportation & installation phase

Inspections include pre-dispatch inspection, dimensional control, visual control, and damage control. Documentation and certificates should also be reviewed.

Commisioning phase & in-service phase

Solar module specialists will ensure that the production has followed correct procedure and ensure there is a save start up.
The in-service phase involves regular inspections of the solar modules to confirm they are performing.