TÜV NORD Greater China PV Lab receives Subsidies from Special Fund for Innovation

With the aim of supporting and promoting technological innovations by firms in the science and technology sector, the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission has established a special government fund for small and medium-sized enterprises engaged in scientific and technological innovations for the purpose of strengthening innovative capability.

With the aim of supporting and promoting technological innovations by firms in the science and technology sector, the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission has established a special government fund for small and medium-sized enterprises engaged in scientific and technological innovations for the purpose of strengthening innovative capability. The photovoltaic lab of TÜV NORD Greater China has successfully applied for a grant from this innovation fund and will as a result receive subsidies for a new innovative outdoor testing service for photovoltaic power plants.

This outdoor testing service uses meteorological equipment. It collects data on current weather conditions such as hours and intensity of sunshine, rain and wind. This equipment and the solar module itself are connected to a device which detects the amount of electricity produced by the module and relates this to the collected weather data. This on-site test system meets the requirement of the IEC 61215: 2016 standard for the measurement of nominal module operating temperature (NMOT). This new test can be used in the evaluation of data from laboratory tests.

All data are collected automatically and processed in real-time. All these highly reliable and accurate data, whether collected in a lab or on-site, can help manufacturers improve their product quality, as the device does not only collect NMOT data but also analyses the long-term on-site performance of components. Investors can evaluate the opportunities of investment in individual sites where particular modules are installed.