The bankability of the systems is certified by experts with many years of experience in this area, according to a comprehensive, new list of criteria. The certificate is aimed at providing investors or solar power plant operators with the greatest possible transparency and confidence for high-quality, state-of-the-art photovoltaic systems, thus guaranteeing profitable, safe and long-term operation.
"This independent testing and risk assessment is important for banks, insurance companies and providers of capital," according to Wilhelm Vaaßen, Head of Regenerative Energies at TÜV Rheinland.
In Italy, the experts recently carried out the inspection of a 24-megawatt power plant with over 100,000 photovoltaic modules, for example. Additional projects have already been implemented in Spain, France, Portugal, the USA, Asia and Germany.
Although the selection of optimally suited modules represents the largest investment for solar power plants, TÜV Rheinland's services are not limited to this area. Rather, the services extend to yield certification including site evaluation and shade analysis as well as construction supervision, reliable operation and yield monitoring.
The services include the creation of yield forecasts, verification of expert reports on yield with regard to plausibility and consideration of identifiable reductions in yield, assistance during the request for proposal phase as well as bid evaluation, for example. In addition, the services include the assessment of the system design with the selection and verification of components as well as power measurements of the solar modules on the basis of random sampling.
The technical implementation and construction supervision provided by the independent experts at TÜV Rheinland includes the reliable electrical and mechanical installation, the optimal function to be verified in line with yield estimates as well as the initial start-up of the system, including evidence of supply to the power network.
The offering is completed by system monitoring with yield verification which, with the corresponding calibrations, can lead to a certification of yield, and includes periodic monitoring as well as advisory activities.
TÜV Rheinland first started laboratory-scale technical testing of solar components back in 1995. TÜV Rheinlands network of experts for the solar industry now comprises more than 200 specialists in six laboratories worldwide. TÜV Rheinland is the global market leader for the testing and certification of solar modules, operating test laboratories in Bangalore (India), Cologne (Germany), Shanghai (China) and Taichung (Taiwan), as well as at TÜV Rheinland PTL in Tempe, Arizona (USA), and Yokohama (Japan).
Across the world, around 500 manufacturers of photovoltaic modules are customers of the independent testing service provider, TÜV Rheinland. The specialists not only test modules and components, but also develop new test methods, collaborate on R&D projects for the use of solar energy and assist customers worldwide with the construction of solar power plants.
TÜV Rheinland at Intersolar Europe 2011, 8 to 10 June, 2011, Neue Messe München, Hall A2 Stand 119.
