OUR SERVICES

Our engineers are regularly called upon to provide a comprehensive factory inspection prior to manufacture as well as complete in-situ tests of PV modules prior to shipping. In particular, we check that the factory complies with our rigorous high standard of quality control during the entire production process including:

• sourcing and storage of raw materials
• the manufacturing process (welding, lamination, cell alignment, installation of junction boxes and connectors etc)
• thermographic inspection of modules (to detect faulty soldering or electrical circuit defects)
• flash test to determine power measurement compliance
• storage and transport of modules prior to shipping
• packing, labels, documentation and pallets

Our laboratory technicians have significant experience in the inspection and assessment of PV modules. The IEC accredited inspection tests to check a batch sample include:

• a visual inspection for major defects
• a thermographic inspection for hot spots or cell cracks
• an insulation resistance test to check there is sufficient protection between the electrical circuit and the frame so that there are no health and safety risks during handling and operation
• peak power determination ie: the maximum power generated by the module under standard test conditions

The inspection service we provide also includes a review of the PV module’s documentation.

Conducting regular inspections of operations and maintenance is recommended following provisional acceptance of the PV plant. Our technicians can be commissioned to visit to perform the following on-site inspections:

• Visual Inspection of installed PV equipment (eg: modules, mounting structures/tracking systems, inverters, meters, transformers, wiring and boxes), civil works (land, manholes and pipes, fencing, foundations, houses and buildings) and other systems (security, telemetry, monitoring, ancilliary services).
• Thermography of all PV modules to detect potential hot spots/cells.
• Performance ratio measurement
• I-V Curve measurement

Although nominal power is expected to reduce over time, module manufacturers usually guarantee a maximum degradation over a certain amount of time. Periodic power testing can be performed in our laboratory on a selected sample of installed modules to ensure that actual degradation of the module performance stays within manufacturer’s warranty.

Real time monitoring of PV installations from our Remote Control Center allows our technicians to constantly analyze the performance and generate the corresponding work orders in case of failure detection. Combined with efficient maintenance, this ensures high yield and availability of the installations.