02 May 2012
TÜV Rheinland PTL, a North American solar and photovoltaic (PV) testing company, has been named a standards developing organisation (SDO) by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Executive Standards Council. ANSI oversees the creation, promulgation and use of thousands of norms and guidelines that directly impact businesses in nearly every sector.
In its new role as a standards developer, TÜV Rheinland aims to help to strengthen the US marketplace's position in the global economy while helping to ensure the safety and health of consumers and the protection of the environment.
To receive the accreditation, TÜV Rheinland PTL had to meet ANSI's requirements for openness, balance, consensus and other due-process safeguards. Due-process is the key to ensuring that ANSI national standards are developed in an environment that is equitable, accessible and responsive to the requirements of various stakeholders. To remain part of the SDO community, TÜV Rheinland PTL will adhere to a set of requirements that govern the consensus development process, The ANSI Essential Requirements: Due Process Requirements for American National Standards.
TÜV Rheinland PTL tests and certifies systems slated for sale in the European Union, Asian and North American markets to ensure that solar thermal, PV, concentrated photovoltaics (CPV), and concentrated solar power (CSP) systems comply with electrical, mechanical and environmental requirements for both product quality and safety.
About 70% of all solar module manufacturers have their products tested by TÜV Rheinland to obtain national and international market licenses. TÜV Rheinland operates test laboratories for solar modules and systems in six locations worldwide: Cologne, Germany; Shanghai, China; Taichung, China; Yokohama, Japan; and Bangalore, India, as well as TÜV Rheinland PTL's facility in Tempe, Arizona. Hundreds of experts specialising in solar technologies work at the existing test centres.
