EN 61215-2 Terrestrial Photovoltaic (PV) Modules - Test Procedures

The European standard "EN 61215-2 Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules - Design qualification and type approval - Part 2: Test procedures" specifies the design qualification requirements for terrestrial photovoltaic modules suitable for long-term operation in outdoor climates. The useful service life of modules thus qualified depends on their design, their environment, and the conditions under which they are operated. Test results are not to be interpreted as a quantitative estimate of module life.

In climates where operating temperatures predominantly exceed 70 degrees Celsius, users are advised to consider testing under higher temperature test conditions, as described in IEC TS 63126. Users requiring qualification requirements for PV products with shorter life expectancies are advised to consider tests designed for PV in consumer electronics, as described in IEC TS 63163.

Users who want to gain confidence that the characteristics tested in the IEC 61215 standard appear consistently in a manufactured product may wish to use the IEC 62941 standard regarding quality systems in PV manufacturing.

This standard is intended to apply to all terrestrial flat-plate module materials, such as crystalline silicon module types and thin-film modules. Although this standard may be used for low-intensity modules (1 to 3 suns), it does not apply to modules used in intense sunlight. All tests for low-intensity modules are conducted using the expected irradiance, current, voltage, and power levels at the design intensity.

The purpose of this test series is to determine the module's electrical and thermal characteristics and demonstrate, to the extent possible within reasonable constraints of cost and time, that the module can withstand long-term exposure in common outdoor climates. Accelerated test conditions are empirically based on those required to reproduce selected observed field failures and are applied uniformly across module types. Acceleration factors may vary based on product design, and therefore, not all failure mechanisms may be revealed.

More general information about accelerated test methods, including definitions of terms, is provided in IEC 62506. Some long-term degradation mechanisms can only be reasonably detected through component testing due to the long times required to produce failure and the need for stress conditions that are expensive to reproduce over large areas. Component tests that have reached a sufficient level of maturity to establish pass/fail criteria with high confidence have been incorporated into the IEC 61215 series by supplementing IEC 61215-1. In contrast, in this series, the test procedures described in IEC 61215-2 are performed on modules.

For the purposes of this standard, the terms and definitions given in IEC 60050 and IEC TS 61836, as well as the following definitions, apply:

• The accuracy of a measuring instrument refers to the quality that characterizes a measuring instrument's ability to provide a specified value close to the true value of the measurand. This term is used in the true value approximation. The closer the specified value is to the corresponding true value, the better the accuracy.
• Controller refers to the irradiance sensor (e.g., a reference cell or module) used to detect drifts and other problems of the solar simulator.
• Electrically stable power output level refers to the condition of the PV module in which it will operate under long-term exposure to natural sunlight in general outdoor climates, as defined in the IEC 60721-2-1 standard.
• Repeatability of measurement results refers to the closeness of agreement between the results of successive measurements of the same measurand, under the same measurement conditions, i.e., with the same measurement procedure, by the same observer, with the same measuring instruments, under the same conditions, in the same laboratory, at relatively short time intervals.
• Gate number 1 is a pass/fail comparison between the performance of a module and its nameplate specifications, as described in the IEC 61215-1 standard.
• Gate number 2 is the pass/fail comparison between the pre- and post-stress performance of a module, as described in the IEC 61215-1 standard.

In the latest update of this standard, significant technical changes have been made. Namely,

• Cyclic (dynamic) mechanical load testing has been added.
• A test method for detecting potential-induced degradation has been added.
• Necessary test methods for double-sided PV modules have been added.
• The necessary test methods for flexible modules have been added. This includes bending tests.
• Simulator requirements have been revised to ensure that uncertainty is both well defined and minimized.
• Correction has been made to the hot spot endurance test where the procedure for monolithically integrated thin film technologies previously contained two sections describing a procedure suitable only for silicon modules.
• In the bypass diode thermal test, it was deemed sufficient to select three diodes for testing instead of all of them.
• The nominal module operating test and associated performance test have been removed from the IEC 61215 series of standards.

The test methods described in this standard include:

• Visual inspection
• Determining maximum power
• insulation test
• Measurement of temperature coefficients
• Placeholder section, formerly
• Performance under standard test conditions
• Low radiation performance
• Outdoor exposure test
• Hot spot endurance test
• UV preconditioning test
• thermal cycling test
• Humidity-freezing test
• Damp heat test
• Robustness of terminations
• Wet leakage current test
• Wet leakage current test
• Hail test
• Bypass diode test
• Stabilization
• Cyclic (dynamic) mechanical load testing
• Potential induced degradation test
• Bending test

Our organization, which has been supporting businesses across all sectors for years with a wide range of testing, measurement, analysis, and evaluation activities, has a strong team of employees who closely follow global developments in science and technology and are constantly improving themselves. In this context, we also provide testing services in accordance with the standard "EN 61215-2 Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules - Design qualification and type approval - Part 2: Test procedures."