Q CELLS says it has become the first solar module manufacturer in the industry to successfully complete and pass a new module testing certification program from TÜV Rheinland.
The Quality Controlled PV testing standard has been developed by TÜV Rheinland in order to raise the bar in terms of monitoring, testing and recognizing solar module quality. For Q CELLS, Quality Controlled PV will become the company’s official certification standard – beginning with its latest range of Q.PEAK DUO-G9+ solar modules.
“TÜV Rheinland has defined a catalog of tests that establish additional qualities that go beyond the standard level of approval and safety qualification,” says Lukas Jakisch, business field manager for PV modules at TÜV Rheinland. “TÜV Rheinland’s surveillance of a manufacturer’s production process – where we perform tests on samples taken at random every month – seeks to identify a consistent level of oversight, with a special focus on reliability and material properties as well as supplier change control.”
The company has adopted the TÜV Rheinland Quality Controlled PV certification in order to strengthen its position as a quality PV provider, backed by a testing scheme that is not only the most extensive and stringent available to date, but is also the only certification in the entire industry to involve independent and random onsite testing from running production, as well as regular material testing.
Q CELLS was able to become the first solar module manufacturer to pass the new independent Quality Controlled PV testing standard from TÜV Rheinland thanks to its committed efforts to support TÜV Rheinland in developing a new certification process that is beneficial for the entire solar industry.
Q CELLS invited TÜV Rheinland to work closely with its quality management experts at Europe’s largest solar testing facility in Thalheim, Germany. This collaborative effort paired the experience of Q CELLS’ quality management and R&D staff with TÜV Rheinland’s industry experts. The result is a completely independent testing and certification program that is the only one on the market to continuously monitor product quality and durability in mass production.
