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TÜV Rheinland Group has entered into a private venture with Arizona State University (ASU) to offer a state-of-the-art testing and certification facility for solar energy equipment. The new venture, entitled TÜV Rheinland PTL, LLC, will be based in Tempe, Arizona and will see the extension of the ASU PTL’s testing and certification capabilities, as well as adding the capacity to test and certify PV panels and electrical components for Europe, Asia, and North America.

The combination of knowledge and experience of both TÜV and ASU PTL in one facility is good news for the PV industry, as it provides a more accessible, global knowledge base for testing and certification of the equipment used on a daily basis in the industry. ASU PTL has been the only lab in the U.S. accredited for PV design qualification and type approval since its establishment in 1992.

As the main investor in the project, TÜV Rheinland will develop a new facility near ASU's Tempe campus, which will be fitted with the latest testing technology equipment.  TÜV Rheinland PTL, LLC will also provide five acres of outdoor testing space via its collaboration with Arizona's largest electric provider, Arizona Public Service (APS). The testing space will be located at APS’s Solar Test and Research (STAR) Center.

By Síle Mc Mahon