Photovoltaic (PV) modules - Type approval, design and safety qualification - Retesting

IEC TS 62915:2023 sets forth a uniform approach to maintain type approval, design and safety qualification of terrestrial PV modules that have undergone or will undergo modification from their originally assessed design. This document addresses two types of PV module technologies, wafer-based technologies (WBT) and monolithically-integrated (MLI) thin-film based technologies.
This document lists typical modifications and the resulting requirements for retesting based on the different test standards. It provides assistance; at some level, engineering judgement may be needed.
This publication contains attached files in the form of xls document. These files are intended to be used as a complement and do not form an integral part of the publication.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2018. This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous edition:
- Prior references to specific process-related changes to PV modules have been removed in this edition and replaced with a general requirement to ensure that a consistent quality management system is in place per IEC 62941
- References to IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 have been updated to the latest editions (2021 and 2023 respectively)
- Retest requirements with respect to new added tests such as cyclic (dynamic) mechanical load (MQT 20) and potential-induced degradation (MQT 21) are addressed in this edition
- Retest requirements for IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 have been separated for the sake of clarity
- A comprehensive matrix table summarizing all the retest requirements for each possible change in material(s) or design modification is provided in this edition
- References to component level standards, namely IEC 62788-1 series and IEC 62788-2 series, are included in this edition to address changes that could be made to the critical sub-components going into new PV module constructions
- Crystalline silicon and thin film references have been updated to be consistent with nomenclature in the updated IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 standards; namely, wafer-based technology (WBT) and monolithically integrated (MLI) thin film PV modules
- In this edition, 4.3 which addresses retest requirements for MLI thin film PV modules has been truncated and simplified by removing redundant sections that are identical with the subclauses in 4.2
Guidance for retesting modules according to IEC TS 63126, “Guidelines for qualifying PV modules, components and materials for operation at high temperatures” has been added to this edition.
- In this edition, requirements have been added for changes affecting system compatibility with variants of the same model
The contents of the corrigendum 1 of July 2024 have been included in this copy.

General Information

Status
Published
Publication Date
14-Sep-2023
Drafting Committee
Current Stage
PPUB - Publication issued
Start Date
20-Jul-2023
Completion Date
15-Sep-2023
Ref Project

Relations

Buy Standard

Technical specification
iects62915{ed2.0}en - IEC TS 62915:2023 - Photovoltaic (PV) modules - Type approval, design and safety qualification - Retesting Released:9/15/2023 Isbn: 9782832274446
English language
43 pages
sale 15% off
Preview
sale 15% off
Preview

Standards Content (Sample)


IEC TS 62915 ®
Edition 2.0 2023-09
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATION
colour
inside
Photovoltaic (PV) modules – Type approval, design and safety qualification –
Retesting
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from
either IEC or IEC's member National Committee in the country of the requester. If you have any questions about IEC
copyright or have an enquiry about obtaining additional rights to this publication, please contact the address below or
your local IEC member National Committee for further information.

IEC Secretariat Tel.: +41 22 919 02 11
3, rue de Varembé info@iec.ch
CH-1211 Geneva 20 www.iec.ch
Switzerland
About the IEC
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes
International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.

About IEC publications
The technical content of IEC publications is kept under constant review by the IEC. Please make sure that you have the
latest edition, a corrigendum or an amendment might have been published.

IEC publications search - webstore.iec.ch/advsearchform IEC Products & Services Portal - products.iec.ch
The advanced search enables to find IEC publications by a Discover our powerful search engine and read freely all the
variety of criteria (reference number, text, technical publications previews. With a subscription you will always have
committee, …). It also gives information on projects, replaced access to up to date content tailored to your needs.
and withdrawn publications.
Electropedia - www.electropedia.org
IEC Just Published - webstore.iec.ch/justpublished
The world's leading online dictionary on electrotechnology,
Stay up to date on all new IEC publications. Just Published
containing more than 22 300 terminological entries in English
details all new publications released. Available online and once
and French, with equivalent terms in 19 additional languages.
a month by email.
Also known as the International Electrotechnical Vocabulary

(IEV) online.
IEC Customer Service Centre - webstore.iec.ch/csc

If you wish to give us your feedback on this publication or need
further assistance, please contact the Customer Service
Centre: sales@iec.ch.
IEC TS 62915 ®
Edition 2.0 2023-09
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATION
colour
inside
Photovoltaic (PV) modules – Type approval, design and safety qualification –

Retesting
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 27.160  ISBN 978-2-8322-7444-6

– 2 – IEC TS 62915:2023 © IEC 2023
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms and definitions . 7
4 Retesting . 8
4.1 General . 8
4.2 Test programs for WBT PV modules (including crystalline silicon) . 9
4.2.1 Modification to frontsheet . 9
4.2.2 Modification to encapsulation system . 11
4.2.3 Modification to cell technology (specific to wafer-based technologies
(WBT)) . 13
4.2.4 Modification to cell and string interconnect material (specific to WBT) . 14
4.2.5 Modification to backsheet . 15
4.2.6 Modification to electrical termination . 17
4.2.7 Modification to bypass diode . 19
4.2.8 Modification to electrical circuitry (specific to WBT) . 20
4.2.9 Modification to edge sealing . 20
4.2.10 Modification to frame and/or mounting structure . 21
4.2.11 Change in PV module size . 23
4.2.12 Higher or lower output power with the identical design and size . 23
4.2.13 Increase of over-current protection rating . 24
4.2.14 Increase of system voltage by more than 5 % . 24
4.2.15 Change in cell fixing or internal insulation tape (specific to WBT) . 25
4.2.16 Change in label material (external nameplate label) . 25
4.2.17 Change from monofacial to bifacial module . 25
4.2.18 Changes to module operating temperature . 26
4.2.19 Changes affecting system compatibility with variants of the same model . 26
4.3 Test programs for MLI thin-film PV modules . 27
4.3.1 Modification to frontsheet . 27
4.3.2 Modification to encapsulation system . 27
4.3.3 Modification to front contact (e. g. TCO) . 27
4.3.4 Modification to cell technology . 27
4.3.5 Modification to cell layout . 28
4.3.6 Modification to back contact . 28
4.3.7 Modification to edge deletion . 29
4.3.8 Modification to interconnect material or technique . 29
4.3.9 Modification to backsheet . 30
4.3.10 Modification to electrical termination . 30
4.3.11 Modification to bypass diode . 30
4.3.12 Modification to edge sealing . 30
4.3.13 Modification to frame and/or mounting structure . 30
4.3.14 Change in PV module size . 30
4.3.15 Higher or lower output power with the identical design and size . 31
4.3.16 Increase of over-current protection rating . 31
4.3.17 Increase of system voltage . 31
4.3.18 Change in label material (external nameplate label) . 31
4.3.19 Change from monofacial to bifacial module . 31

4.3.20 Changes to module operating temperature . 31
4.3.21 Changes affecting compatibility with variants of the same model . 31
4.3.22 Changes to documentation . 31
Annex A (normative) Retests and test flow . 32
A.1 Required retests for PV modules, tabular overview . 32
A.2 Combined test flow IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 (see Figure A.1 and
Table A.2) . 39
A.3 Tests for new combinations of materials and/or components . 41
Bibliography . 43

Figure 1 – X-X and Y-Y axes relevant for the elastic section modulus of a typical PV

frame . 21
Figure A.1 – Combined test flow IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 . 39
Figure A.2 – Illustration of example for required tests for new material combinations . 42

Table A.1 – Required retests for PV modules . 32
Table A.2 – IEC identifiers for test sequences . 40

– 4 – IEC TS 62915:2023 © IEC 2023
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) MODULES – TYPE APPROVAL,
DESIGN AND SAFETY QUALIFICATION – RETESTING

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international
co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To this end and
in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications, Technical Reports,
Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC Publication(s)”). Their
preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested in the subject dealt with
may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-governmental organizations liaising
with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely with the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence between
any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) IEC draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
patent(s). IEC takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent rights in
respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, IEC had not received notice of (a) patent(s), which
may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are cautioned that this may not represent
the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at https://patents.iec.ch. IEC
shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
IEC TS 62915 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 82: Solar photovoltaic energy
systems. It is a Technical Specification.
This publication contains attached files in the form of xls document. These files are intended to
be used as a complement and do not form an integral part of the publication.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2018. This edition
constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
• Prior references to specific process-related changes to PV modules have been removed in
this edition and replaced with a general requirement to ensure that a consistent quality
management system is in place per IEC 62941
...

Questions, Comments and Discussion

Ask us and Technical Secretary will try to provide an answer. You can facilitate discussion about the standard in here.