U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Solar Energy Technologies Program – Solar America Initiative

Testing and Evaluation: Modules and Arrays

Numerous DOE-funded testing and evaluation capabilities are available for public use on a no-fee basis, including capabilities at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), and the Southeast and Southwest Regional Experiment Stations (SERES and SWRES). The following table lists capabilities related to modules and arrays and provides links for obtaining more information. To inquire about capabilities at DOE-funded facilities, see the contacts page.

Descriptor Description of Capability
(including Web links)		 Specific tests/measurements/characterizations
BNL EH&S Research Center Lab-scale recycling of metals and glass from PV modules.
Assisting with EH&S reviews in PV module manufacturing facilities.
Estimating energy payback and CO2 emissions from the life-cycle of PV systems.
Defining the environmental profile of PV and comparison with other energy technologies.
Atmospheric dispersion modeling.
www.pv.bnl.gov		 Hydrometallurgical separations of Cd from Te and Se from In and Zn in CdTe and CIGS PV modules.
Inductively Coupled Plasma Analysis (ICP) of elements in solutions.
XRF and XRD analyses of solid samples.
Lifecycle analysis of PV modules and BOS.
Using various atmospheric dispersion models to predict hazard zones.
NREL Indoor Module Stress Testing Standard and customized stress testing of PV modules.
www.nrel.gov/pv/performance_reliability		 IEC 61215/61730 tests: dielectric withstand, ground continuity, accessibility, wet leakage current, UV preconditioning, damp heat, thermal cycling, hot spot endurance, bypass diode thermal test, hail test, mechanical load, humidity-freeze, robustness of terminations, reverse current test, JBox securement.
Custom tests: light soaking in environmental chambers, longer, special, or combined chamber sequences.
NREL High Voltage Test Bed Outdoor stressing of PV modules and arrays at system voltages.
www.nrel.gov/pv/performance_reliability		 Array/module leakage currents to ground, real-time performance.
NREL Performance & Energy Ratings Test Bed 45 module channels provided by Raydec Multitracer electronic loads.
www.nrel.gov/pv/performance_reliability		 Maximum power point tracking loading, temperature & irradiance measurements, periodic I-V curves, real-time performance, Performance Test Conditions (PTC) ratings, temperature coefficients, module degradation rates.
NREL Outdoor Accelerated Test System Two-axis active solar tracking with mirror light enhancement provides up to 2.5x concentration in two test planes with active air cooling.
www.nrel.gov/pv/performance_reliability		 Accelerated module weathering, module degradation rates.
NREL Outdoor Performance Measurements Outdoor module exposure racks.
www.nrel.gov/pv/performance_reliability		 Non-real-time performance monitoring, module degradation rates.
IEC 61215/61730 tests: temperature test, hot spot endurance, outdoor exposure.
NREL Module Efficiency Measurements Light and dark I-V, spectral responsivity versus voltage and light. Any size flat-plate module outdoors.
http://www.nrel.gov/pv/measurements/device_performance.html		 Outdoors and continuous light test-beds (±300 V, ±60 A to micro A and micro V).
Spire 240 A for pulsed solar simulator (20 A, 100 V max, 2-ft by 4-ft or smaller modules).
ISO 17025 accredited.
NREL Module Laser Scanner Module laser scanner using rastered HeNe laser beam, and light chopper to produce response maps of modules as a function of bias voltage.
www.nrel.gov/pv/measurements/electro_optical.html		 Providing photo-response maps of modules to reveal shunting regions and other loss mechanisms.
Tool for reliability and failure analysis complements infrared camera.
NREL Concentrator Module Performance & Energy Ratings Test Bed Concentrator module performance and energy ratings measurements. Unattended I-V on 2-axis tracker for 1 to 10 prototype concentrator cells or modules, with periodic spectra, 10-min typical interval, and full meteorological data, 100 V, 20 A max, micro A, micro V min.
Determining Performance Test Conditions (PTC) ratings, temperature coefficients, module degradation rates.
Sandia PV Module Evaluation Lab Comprehensive electrical, thermal, optical characterization of module and small array performance. Diagnostic evaluation of field failures and production anomalies.
www.sandia.gov/pv		 Outdoor performance of modules/arrays to 1,800 W using ASTM procedures and 2-axis tracker.
Temperature coefficients, NOCT and PTC operating temperatures.
Solar spectral and angle-of-incidence characteristics.
Cell shading and hot-spot testing.
Energy modeling parameters using Sandia test protocol.
Baseline and periodic retesting for field or accelerated aging tests.
Dark IV analysis for modules and bypass diodes.
Diagnostic analyses using UV, thermal (IR), and ultrasonic imaging.
Destructive tests: encapsulant adhesion, interface chemistry, glass transmittance, solder-bond cross-sections.
SERES PV Module Performance Testing Tests to measure the performance of PV modules at standard reporting conditions.
www.fsec.ucf.edu/pvt/buyinstallpv/moduletesting.htm		 Indoor module performance test based on ASTM 1036 using Spire Sun Simulator 660. Outdoor Performance Test: FSEC Standard based on ASTM 1036 and Sandia protocol with Daystar 1200 curve tracer. Accreditations:
  • ISO 17025 through AALA
  • Powermark Accreditation
SERES Long-Term Module Testing Designed to test the long-term performance and reliability of commercial PV modules.
www.fsec.ucf.edu/pvt/Projects/seres		 Modules mounted in Florida's hot, humid climate with resistive load. Exposure with high-voltage bias also available. Monthly IV curves to identify power degradation and failure mechanisms.