Survey of national and international standards, guidelines & QA procedures for stand-alone PV systems

Survey of national and international standards, guidelines & QA procedures for stand-alone PV systems, 2nd edition

Author(s): Wilshaw, Alison
Bates, Jonathan
Oldach, Rolf Survey of national and international standards, guidelines & QA procedures for stand-alone PV systems, 2nd edition

Organization: IT Power Ltd, United Kingdom (GBR)

Date of issue (2nd edition): May 2004

Type: Report IEA PVPS Task 3

Reference: IEA IEA PVPS T3-07:2000

Details: 50 p.; with glossary and appendices

Download: Open or download this report as PDF file (819 KB)

Available from: Task 3 members

Abstract: Task 3 of the Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme, Stand-alone and Island Applications, is focusing efforts on Quality Assurance (QA) aspects of stand-alone PV systems. As a starting point for this work, a review of existing programmes of standardisation and QA for PV was necessary, in order to gain an overall picture of the work presently being done and so identify ways in which Task 3 can best make a contribution to this work.
This survey describes the role of international and national standardisation and QA organisations, and the work which they are conducting to provide guidelines for the application of quality stand-alone PV (SAPV) systems. The document undertakes a review of existing standards and guidelines, and describes in brief any relevant specifications, reports and Best Practices which are relevant to the subject of QA procedures for SAPV systems. This document has been made available on the internet.
Most of the standards published to date concern PV modules and their measurement methods. However in recent years, major international standards committees, such as IEC and CENELEC, have started work on standards for PV systems and the electronic components required for their control (BOS components). In addition, the PV GAP was initiated by the PV industry to address the problem of PV system quality. This organization has published a number of global interim standards to attempt to accelerate the supply and installation of quality systems.
A number of other organizations are also active in this field, with the aim of improving the quality of installed SAPV systems. These include the World Bank, the UNDP, GTZ, and also a number of national programmes which have been started to address the lack of globally accepted standards, test procedures and laboratories for SAPV systems. This survey reviews the progress made by these organisations.
The survey identifies areas where there are insufficient, or no guidelines, and suggests a Task 3 plan of action to fill some of these gaps. The document in itself identifies all the existing widely used guidelines for SAPV systems and provides a useful resource which describes the current status of existing standards and QA programmes in this field.

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Author(s):	Wilshaw, Alison Bates, Jonathan Oldach, Rolf
Organization:	IT Power Ltd, United Kingdom (GBR)
Date of issue (2nd edition):	May 2004
Type:	Report IEA PVPS Task 3
Reference:	IEA IEA PVPS T3-07:2000
Details:	50 p.; with glossary and appendices
Download:	Open or download this report as PDF file (819 KB)
Available from:	Task 3 members
Abstract:	Task 3 of the Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme, Stand-alone and Island Applications, is focusing efforts on Quality Assurance (QA) aspects of stand-alone PV systems. As a starting point for this work, a review of existing programmes of standardisation and QA for PV was necessary, in order to gain an overall picture of the work presently being done and so identify ways in which Task 3 can best make a contribution to this work. This survey describes the role of international and national standardisation and QA organisations, and the work which they are conducting to provide guidelines for the application of quality stand-alone PV (SAPV) systems. The document undertakes a review of existing standards and guidelines, and describes in brief any relevant specifications, reports and Best Practices which are relevant to the subject of QA procedures for SAPV systems. This document has been made available on the internet. Most of the standards published to date concern PV modules and their measurement methods. However in recent years, major international standards committees, such as IEC and CENELEC, have started work on standards for PV systems and the electronic components required for their control (BOS components). In addition, the PV GAP was initiated by the PV industry to address the problem of PV system quality. This organization has published a number of global interim standards to attempt to accelerate the supply and installation of quality systems. A number of other organizations are also active in this field, with the aim of improving the quality of installed SAPV systems. These include the World Bank, the UNDP, GTZ, and also a number of national programmes which have been started to address the lack of globally accepted standards, test procedures and laboratories for SAPV systems. This survey reviews the progress made by these organisations. The survey identifies areas where there are insufficient, or no guidelines, and suggests a Task 3 plan of action to fill some of these gaps. The document in itself identifies all the existing widely used guidelines for SAPV systems and provides a useful resource which describes the current status of existing standards and QA programmes in this field.