International Photovoltaic Reliability Workshop II

July 29-31, 2009

The International Photovoltaic Reliability Workshop II was held in Tempe, Arizona, on July 29-31, 2009, as a follow-up to the first International Photovoltaic (PV) Reliability Workshop, which was held in December 2008 in Shanghai, China. The objective was to identify and discuss quality, reliability, and testing issues that influence the long-term viability of the global PV market. The workshop, which was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Program, encouraged collaboration and technical networking among international PV stakeholders.

The following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.

Workshop Summary Report (PDF 279 KB)

Attendee List (PDF 26 KB)

Welcome and Opening Remarks (PDF 478 KB)
Jeffrey Nelson, Sandia National Laboratories
Mani G. TamizhMani, President, TUV Rheinland PTL, and Professor, Arizona State University

Keynote: Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Program (PDF 6.7 MB)
Chris Cameron, U.S. Department of Energy Solar Program

Keynote: Smart Grid and NEDO's Experience through Several Projects in Japan (PDF 3.3 MB)
Mr. Hirofumi Nakama and Mr. Keiichi Watanabe, New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)

Technical Section I: Certification and Quality Processes

Cell and Module Level Testing Procedures and Intercomparisons (PDF 17.7 MB)
Keith Emery, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

ISO 17025 QA Accreditation Process )
Bindhu Raghuraman, TUV Rheinland PTL

Polymer Material Standard Requirements and Test Methods (PDF 1.1 MB)
Chris Flueckiger, Underwriters Laboratories

China: Technical Requirements and Specifications for Testing and Certification of BIPV in China
Mr. Wei Kang and Mr. Shen Tao, China Quality Certification Center (CQC)

Technical Section II: Prequalification, Durability, and Reliability Assessments of PV Materials, Modules, Components, and Systems

Breakage Mechanism(s) of Photovoltaic Silicon Wafers: Theory and Experiment (PDF 1.6 MB)
Bhushan Sopori and Przemyslaw Rupnowski, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Reliability and Accelerated Aging Methodologies and Observations
Mani G. TamizhMani, TUV Rheinland PTL (PDF 2.8 MB)
Jennifer Granata, Sandia National Laboratories (PDF 661 KB)

China: Analysis Methods and Instruments for the Production of Polysilicon Material and Crystalline Silicon Wafers (PDF 3.5 MB)
Dr. Yuepeng Wan, Chief Technology Officer, LDK Solar

China: Performance Analysis of Solar Grade Crystalline Silicon Modules (PDF 4.7 MB)
Dr. Genmao Chen, Director of R&D at Canadian Solar, Inc. (CSI)

Technical Section III: Domestic and International Codes and Standards

A Guide to the World's Standards Organizations and the Differences Among Them (PDF 334 KB)
Liang Ji, Underwriters Laboratories

U.S. Codes and Standards Structure and Supporting Organizations
John Wiles, Southwest Regional Experiment Station (PDF 2.1 MB)

U.S. Solar ABCs
Larry Sherwood, Sherwood Associates (PDF 1.3 MB)

Fire Hazards: Experience and Studies (PDF 2.3 MB)
Liang Ji, Underwriters Laboratories

Summary of Emerging CPV Safety Standards (PDF 626 KB)
William Shisler, TUV Rheinland PTL

Developing Codes and Standards for BIPV and Integrated Systems (PDF 1.7 MB)
Kurt Scott, Atlas Material Testing Technology LLC

Technical Section IV: Grid Interconnection and Integration

Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS) (PDF 2.3 MB)
Ward Bower, Sandia National Laboratories

Impact of SolarSmart Subdivisions on SMUD's Distributing System (PDF 3.2 MB)
Peter McNutt, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Special Topics and Plenary Presentation

Special Topic: PV Systems Modeling and Analysis Tools (PDF 1.3 MB)
Chris Cameron, Sandia National Laboratories

Special Topic: Resource Assessment Tools (PDF 9.5 MB)
Dave Renne, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Special Topic: U.S. Market Transformation Efforts (PDF 2.8 MB)
Kevin Lynn, SENTECH, Inc. / U.S. Department of Energy

Plenary Presentation: Arizona Institute for Renewable Energy and the Solar Power Laboratories (PDF 3.2 MB)
Christiana Honsberg, Arizona State University