CSA Group and the VDE Testing and Certification Institute have signed a reciprocal testing services agreement for PV modules, which includes working with Fraunhofer USA and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems for a new solar technology facility in the US Southwest. The agreement is immediately effective and hopes to enable the organizations to test products to current applicable standards.
The agreement sees that all parties will invest in and share ownership of a new testing facility, which will be designed to meet the needs of the PV industry. The testing facility is scheduled to be built in late 2010 testing products to ULC/ORD-C1703, UL 1703 and IEC 61730 safety standards and IEC 61214 and IEC 61646 performance standards.
“The VDE Institute has been successfully involved with CSA Group and the innovation experts from Fraunhofer for many years,” says Wilfried Jäger, managing director, VDE Testing and Certification Institute. “With this joint venture we are creating a global center of excellence for photovoltaics. Our customers, who work to develop solar technologies in accordance with the global climate change programs, will benefit and will pass the benefits to their customers. While utilizing the latest technology during extensive testing in Europe, Asia, and North America, we now can offer access to the global market.”
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VDE will offer its clients access to CSA certification marks in North America while CSA will offer its client’s access to the VDE-, VDE-GS-, VDE-EMC marks, CB certificates and EC Declarations of Conformity for the CE marking in Europe. Fraunhofer ISE and CSE will look after the set up and operation of the facility.
