by Brianna Crandall — September 15, 2010—Underwriters Laboratories (UL), global provider of safety testing and certification, has announced the opening of a testing and certification facility for photovoltaic (PV) equipment in Ise City, Mie Prefecture, Japan. In addition to offering performance and safety testing services for PV equipment in Japan, the facility will provide technical support to Japanese PV equipment manufacturers as they develop their businesses and enter overseas markets.
Reflecting the global demand for sustainable energy generating sources, the Japanese government’s roadmap for reaching greenhouse gas reduction targets includes a national policy to expand the reach of PV power generation to 10 million households by 2020, which constitutes a 21-fold increase compared with 2005.
PV systems, which consist of PV modules and panels, junction boxes, inverters and power converters, are permanently installed on roofs or ground-supported frames and thus are prone to degradation due to wind, rain, hail, as well as age. Accordingly, improving the safety and verifying performance of PV systems is critical for them to receive widespread adoption, notes UL.
UL has been engaged in formulating photovoltaic equipment safety specifications and standards since the 1980s. Just within the last couple of years, UL has opened PV testing facilities similar to the new Ise City facility in San Jose, California, U.S.; Suzhou, China; and Zeppelinheim, Neu-Isenburg, Germany.
