The IEC 60904 standard, published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), consists of the following sections under the main title of "Photovoltaic devices":
The IEC 60904-1 standard describes procedures for measuring the current-to-voltage characteristics of photovoltaic devices in natural or simulated sunlight. These procedures apply to a single photovoltaic solar cell, a subset of photovoltaic solar cells, or a PV module. The purpose of this standard is to set out the basic requirements for the measurement of current-voltaic characteristics of photovoltaic devices, to describe the procedures for the different measurement techniques used, and to show applications to minimize measurement uncertainty. Actual requirements (eg for solar simulator class) depend on end use.
The IEC 60904-1-1 standard describes procedures for measuring the current-voltaic characteristics of multi-junction photovoltaic devices in natural or simulated sunlight. This standard can be applied to single PV cells, subassemblies of such cells or entire PV modules. It is mainly intended for non-concentrating devices, but parts can also be applied to concentrated multi-link PV devices.
The IEC TS 60904-1-2 standard describes procedures for measuring current-voltage (IV) characteristics of bifacial photovoltaic devices in natural or simulated sunlight. This standard can be applied to single PV cells, subassemblies of such cells or entire PV modules. This standard is applicable to PV devices designed for use under concentrated irradiation if they are measured without concentration optics and irradiated directly using normal irradiation and a mismatch correction is made directly to the normal reference spectrum.
The IEC 60904-2 standard describes the requirements for classification, selection, packaging, marking, calibration and maintenance of photovoltaic reference devices. This standard covers photovoltaic reference devices used to determine the electrical performance of photovoltaic cells, modules and arrays under natural and simulated sunlight. It does not cover photovoltaic reference devices for use under concentrated sunlight.
The IEC 60904-3 standard applies to the following photovoltaic devices in terrestrial applications:
The principles in this standard cover testing in both natural and simulated sunlight. Photovoltaic conversion is spectrally selective in nature of the semiconductor materials used in PV solar cells and modules. A reference standard solar spectral distribution is required to compare the relative performance of different PV devices and materials. This standard includes such a reference solar spectral radiation distribution. This standard also describes the basic measurement principles for determining the electrical output of PV devices.
The IEC 60904-4 standard describes the requirements for calibration procedures aimed at ensuring the traceability of photovoltaic (PV) reference devices as required by the explanations in the second part. This standard applies to PV reference devices used to measure the irradiance of natural or simulated sunlight to measure the performance of PV devices. This standard was written on the basis of single junction PV reference devices, especially crystalline silicon.
The IEC 60904-5 standard describes the preferred method for determining the equivalent cell temperature of PV devices (cells, modules, and arrays of a module type) in order to compare their thermal characteristics, determine the nominal working cell temperature, and convert the measured IV characteristics to other temperatures.
In IEC 60904-7 standard, describes the procedure for correcting the spectral mismatch error that arises in the testing of a photovoltaic device, resulting from the mismatch between the test spectrum and the reference spectrum, and the mismatch between the spectral sensitivities of the reference device and the device. The purpose of this standard is to provide guidance for correcting the spectral mismatch error in case of a spectral mismatch between the test spectrum and the reference spectrum, as well as between the reference device and the instrument under test. The calculated spectral mismatch correction applies only to certain combinations of test and reference instruments measured with a given test spectrum.
The IEC 60904-8 standard describes the requirements for the measurement of the spectral sensitivity of both linear and non-linear photovoltaic devices. The spectral sensitivity of a photovoltaic device is used in cell development and cell analysis as it provides a measure of recombination and other processes occurring within a semiconductor or cell material system.
The IEC 60904-8-1 standard provides guidance for the measurement of the spectral sensitivity of multi-junction photovoltaic devices. This standard is mainly for non-concentrating devices, but parts can also be applied to concentrated multi-link PV devices.
The IEC 60904-9 standard applies to solar simulators used in PV test and calibration laboratories and production lines of solar cells and PV modules. This standard defines the classifications of solar simulators for use in indoor measurements of terrestrial photovoltaic devices. This standard is used in conjunction with the IEC TR 60904-14 standard, which addresses best practice recommendations for production line measurements of single junction PV module maximum power output and reporting under standard test conditions.
The IEC 60904-10 standard describes the procedures used to measure the dependence of any electrical parameter of a photovoltaic (PV) device on a test parameter and to determine the degree to which this dependence is close to a value. It also provides guidance on how to take into account deviations from the ideal linear dependence and how to deal with nonlinearity of the electrical parameters of the PV device in general.
Standard DSF/PREN 60904-11 describes procedures for measuring the light-induced degradation of crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) cells in simulated sunlight. The magnitude of light-induced degradation in a crystalline silicon PV cell is determined by comparing the maximum output power before and after simulated sunlight exposure at a given temperature and irradiance. The purpose of this standard is to help PV module manufacturers minimize mismatch between cells within the same module, thereby maximizing power efficiency.
The IEC TS 60904-13 standard describes methods for the following situations:
This standard applies to PV modules measured with a power supply that forward biases the cells in the modules.
The IEC TR 60904-14 standard provides guidelines for measurements of the maximum power output of single-link photovoltaic (PV) modules and reporting under standard test conditions in industrial production line settings. As it is desired to have consistent measurement practices across the industry, this standard describes the following characteristics of such measurements:
Our organization also provides testing services for photovoltaic devices within the scope of IEC 60904 standard, with its trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment, among the numerous test, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies it provides for businesses in various sectors.
To get an appointment, to get more detailed information or to request an evaluation, you can ask us to fill in our form and reach you.
EUROLABreporting and certification activities, United Accreditation Foundation (UAF), Turkish Accreditation Agency (TÜRKAK), Enterprise Accreditation Foundation (EAF) based on the accreditation provided by its institution. The Enterprise Accreditation Foundation (EAF) is also a signatory to the United Nations (UN GLOBAL COMPACT).
