IEC TS 62257-12-1:2020

IEC TS 62257-12-1 ®
Edition 3.0 2020-05
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATION
Recommendations for renewable energy and hybrid systems for rural
electrification –
Part 12-1: Laboratory evaluation of lamps and lighting appliances for off-grid
electricity systems
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IEC TS 62257-12-1 ®
Edition 3.0 2020-05
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATION
Recommendations for renewable energy and hybrid systems for rural

electrification –
Part 12-1: Laboratory evaluation of lamps and lighting appliances for off-grid

electricity systems
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 27.160 ISBN 978-2-8322-8077-5

– 2 – IEC TS 62257-12-1:2020 © IEC 2020
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 7
INTRODUCTION . 9
1 Scope . 10
2 Normative references . 10
3 Terms and definitions . 11
4 Characteristics of lamps and lighting appliances . 15
4.1 Product categories . 15
4.2 System measurements and observations . 15
4.2.1 General . 15
4.2.2 Design, manufacture, and marketing . 15
4.2.3 Durability and workmanship . 17
4.2.4 Electrical characteristics . 19
4.2.5 Photometric performance measures . 20
4.2.6 Photometric durability measures . 21
4.2.7 Self-declaration aspects . 21
5 Product specification . 22
5.1 General . 22
5.2 Applications . 22
5.3 Quality assurance principles . 23
5.3.1 General . 23
5.3.2 Rationale for dividing quality, warranty, and performance . 23
5.4 Product specification framework description . 24
5.4.1 General . 24
5.4.2 Product specification template . 24
5.4.3 Tolerances . 27
5.4.4 Quality standards criteria . 28
5.4.5 Warranty requirements criteria . 33
5.4.6 Performance criteria . 33
6 Quality test method (QTM) . 35
6.1 General . 35
6.2 Applications . 36
6.3 Sampling requirements . 36
6.4 Laboratory requirements . 36
6.5 Testing requirements . 36
6.6 Recommended test programme . 38
6.6.1 General . 38
6.6.2 Reporting . 40
7 Market check method (MCM) . 41
7.1 General . 41
7.2 Applications . 41
7.3 Sampling requirements . 42
7.4 Laboratory requirements . 42
7.5 Testing requirements . 42
7.6 Recommended tests programme . 44
7.7 Report requirements . 44

Annex A (informative) Example quality standards and performance criteria for off-grid
lighting market support programme qualification and bulk procurement (“sample
tender”) qualification . 45
A.1 Overview. 45
A.2 Test requirements . 45
A.3 Quality standards . 45
A.4 Warranty requirements . 47
A.5 Performance criteria . 47
Annex B (informative) Reserved. 49
Annex C (normative) Manufacturer self-reported information . 50
C.1 Background. 50
C.2 Outcomes . 50
C.3 Solicited information . 50
Annex D (normative) Product sampling . 51
D.1 Background. 51
D.2 Test outcomes . 51
D.3 Related tests. 51
D.4 Procedure . 51
Annex E (normative) Power supply requirements for testing . 52
E.1 Background. 52
E.2 Related tests. 52
E.3 Equipment requirements . 52
E.3.1 DC systems . 52
E.3.2 AC systems . 52
E.4 Reporting . 53
Annex F (normative) Visual screening . 54
F.1 Background. 54
F.2 Test outcomes . 54
F.3 Related tests. 54
F.4 Procedure . 54
F.4.1 Properties, features, and information . 54
F.4.2 Specifications . 56
F.4.3 Functionality and internal inspection . 57
F.5 Reporting . 58
Annex G (normative) Sample preparation . 61
G.1 Background. 61
G.2 Test outcomes . 61
G.3 Related tests. 61
G.4 Procedure . 61
G.4.1 General . 61
G.4.2 Equipment requirements . 61
G.4.3 Test prerequisites . 62
G.4.4 Procedure . 62
G.5 Calculations . 63
G.6 Reporting . 63
Annex H (normative) Voltage and frequency settings, voltage measurement points,
and product stabilization procedures . 64
H.1 Background. 64

– 4 – IEC TS 62257-12-1:2020 © IEC 2020
H.2 Related tests. 64
H.3 Equipment requirements . 64
H.4 Procedure . 64
H.4.1 Test setup . 64
H.4.2 Standard operating voltages . 65
H.4.3 Frequency selection. 66
H.4.4 Stabilization period . 66
H.5 Reporting . 67
Annex I (normative) Light output . 68
I.1 Background. 68
I.2 Test outcomes . 68
I.3 Related tests. 68
I.4 Procedure . 68
I.5 Calculations . 69
I.6 Reporting . 69
Annex J (normative) Light distribution . 70
J.1 Background. 70
J.2 Test outcomes . 70
J.3 Related tests. 70
J.4 Procedure . 70
J.5 Calculations . 70
J.6 Reporting . 71
Annex K (normative) Input voltage range . 72
K.1 Background. 72
K.2 Test outcomes . 72
K.3 Related tests. 72
K.4 Procedure . 73
K.4.1 General . 73
K.4.2 Equipment requirements . 73
K.4.3 Test prerequisites . 73
K.4.4 Apparatus . 73
K.4.5 Procedure . 73
K.5 Calculations . 75
K.6 Reporting . 75
Annex L (normative) Lumen maintenance . 77
L.1 Background. 77
L.2 Test outcomes . 77
L.3 Related tests. 77
L.4 Procedure . 77
L.5 Calculations . 77
Annex M (normative) Cycling . 78
M.1 Background. 78
M.2 Test outcomes . 78
M.3 Related tests. 78
M.4 Procedure . 78
M.4.1 General . 78
M.4.2 Equipment requirements . 78
M.4.3 Test prerequisites . 79

M.4.4 Apparatus . 79
M.4.5 Procedure . 79
M.5 Calculations . 79
M.6 Reporting . 80
Annex N (normative) Mechanical durability . 81
N.1 Background. 81
N.2 Test outcomes . 81
N.3 Related tests. 82
N.4 Procedures . 82
N.4.1 General . 82
N.4.2 Shipping vibration test . 82
N.5 Reporting . 83
Annex O (normative) Physical ingress and water protection . 84
O.1 Background. 84
O.2 Test outcomes . 84
O.3 Related tests. 85
O.4 Procedure . 85
O.5 Reporting . 85
Annex P (normative) Power consumption and power quality . 86
P.1 Background. 86
P.2 Test outcomes . 86
P.3 Related tests. 86
P.4 Procedure . 86
P.4.1 DC power . 86
P.4.2 AC power. 87
P.5 Reporting . 89
Bibliography . 90

Figure 1 – Recommended sequence of testing for QTM . 38
Figure H.1 – Test configuration . 65
Figure M.1 – Plot of cycle life for 6 samples . 80
Figure P.1 – Test configuration for the AC power consumption and power quality test if
an external power meter is used . 88

Table 1 – Applications of product specifications . 23
Table 2 – Truth-in-advertising tolerance . 25
Table 3 – Safety and durability standards . 25
Table 4 – Power quality standards for AC products . 26
Table 5 – End-user support standards . 27
Table 6 – End-user support requirements . 27
Table 7 – Lighting service criteria for performance assessment . 27
Table 8 – Truth-in-advertising criteria for quality standards . 29
Table 9 – Notes on common truth-in-advertising aspects . 29
Table 10 – Safety and durability criteria for quality standards . 30
Table 11 – Recommended level of water protection by product category . 32
Table 12 – Power quality criteria for quality standards . 32

– 6 – IEC TS 62257-12-1:2020 © IEC 2020
Table 13 – End-user support criteria for quality standards . 33
Table 14 – Criteria for warranty standards . 33
Table 15 – Lighting service criteria for performance assessment . 34
Table 16 – Lighting service benchmarks . 35
Table 17 – Applications of QTM results . 36
Table 18 – QTM testing requirements . 37
Table 19 – Applications of MCM results . 41
Table 20 – MCM testing requirements . 42
Table A.1 – Truth-in-advertising tolerance . 46
Table A.2 – Safety and durability standards . 46
Table A.3 – Power quality standards for AC products . 47
Table A.4 – End-user support requirements . 47
Table A.5 – Lighting service criteria for performance assessment . 48
Table C.1 – Manufacturer self-reported information outcomes. 50
Table D.1 – Product sampling outcomes . 51
Table F.1 – Visual screening test outcomes . 54
Table H.1 – Standard operating voltage for several nominal system voltages . 65
Table H.2 – Voltage and current reporting requirements . 67
Table I.1 – Light output test outcomes . 68
Table J.1 – Light distribution test outcomes . 70
Table K.1 – Input voltage range test outcomes . 72
Table K.2 – Recommended operating voltage range and maximum allowable voltage
by nominal operating voltage . 74
Table K.3 – Example table of operating voltage, current, voltage at DUT, and relative
light output . 76
Table L.1 – Lumen maintenance test outcomes . 77
Table M.1 – Cycling test outcomes . 78
Table N.1 – Mechanical durability test outcomes . 81
Table O.1 – Water exposure and physical ingress protection test outcomes . 84
Table P.1 – AC power quality test outcomes . 86

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY
AND HYBRID SYSTEMS FOR RURAL ELECTRIFICATION –

Part 12-1: Laboratory evaluation of lamps and
lighting appliances for off-grid electricity systems

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
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8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
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9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
The main task of IEC technical committees is to prepare International Standards. In
exceptional circumstances, a technical committee may propose the publication of a Technical
Specification when
• the required support cannot be obtained for the publication of an International Standard,
despite repeated efforts, or
• the subject is still under technical development or where, for any other reason, there is the
future but no immediate possibility of an agreement on an International Standard.
Technical Specifications are subject to review within three years of publication to decide
whether they can be transformed into International Standards.
IEC 62257-12-1, which is a Technical Specification, has been prepared by IEC technical
committee 82: Solar photovoltaic energy systems.

– 8 – IEC TS 62257-12-1:2020 © IEC 2020
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition published in 2015. This edition
constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition.
Title modified.
• Annex A and Annex B were combined into a single Annex A to eliminate duplicate tables
and simplify the document. Annex A in this third edition now covers recommendations and
requirements for both market support programmes and bulk procurement programs. Annex
A provides specific examples for quality standards, warranty requirements, and
performance criteria for off-grid lighting products.
This Technical Specification is to be used in conjunction with other parts of the IEC 62257
series.
The text of this Technical Specification is based on the following documents:
Enquiry draft Report on voting
82/1617/DTS 82/1642A/RVDTS
Full information on the voting for the approval of this Technical Specification can be found in
the report on voting indicated in the above table.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
A list of all parts of the IEC 62257 series, under the general title Recommendations for
renewable energy and hybrid systems for rural electrification, can be found on the IEC
website.
Future standards in this series will carry the new general title as cited above. Titles of existing
standards in this series will be updated at the time of the next edition.
The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the stability date indicated on the IEC website under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data
related to the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be
• transformed into an International Standard,
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
INTRODUCTION
The IEC 62257 series provides support and strategies for organizations and institutions
involved in rural electrification projects. It documents technical approaches for designing,
building, testing, and maintaining off-grid renewable energy and hybrid systems with AC
nominal voltage below 1 000 V, and DC nominal voltage below 1 500 V.
These documents are recommendations:
• to support buyers who want to connect with good quality options in the market,
• to choose the right system for the right place,
• to design the system,
• to operate and maintain the system.
These documents are focused only on technical aspects of rural off-grid electrification
concentrating on but not specific to developing countries. They are not all inclusive to rural
electrification. The documents do not describe a range of factors that can determine project or
product success: environmental, social, economic, service capabilities, and others. Further
developments in this field could be introduced in future steps.
This consistent set of documents is best considered as a whole with different parts
corresponding to items for safety, sustainability of systems, and affordable costs. The main
objectives are to support the capabilities of households and communities that use small
renewable energy and hybrid off-grid systems and inform organizations and institutions in the
off-grid power market.
The purpose of this document is to specify laboratory test methods for evaluating the quality
assurance of lamps and lighting appliances for off-grid electricity systems, including product
specifications and tests. In addition to supporting the selection of products by project
developers and implementers, quality assurance can help market support organizations,
manufacturers, and governments achieve the goals they have for lighting appliances in off-
grid applications.
This part of IEC 62257 presents a quality assurance framework that includes product
specifications (a framework for interpreting test results) and test methods.
The intended users of this document are:
• Market support programmes that support the off-grid lighting market with financing,
consumer education, awareness, and other services;
• Manufacturers and distributors that need to verify the quality and performance of products;
• Bulk procurement programmes that facilitate or place large orders of products; and,
• Trade regulators such as government policymakers and officials who craft and implement
trade and tax policy.
The tests and inspections are designed to be widely applicable across different markets,
countries, and regions.
– 10 – IEC TS 62257-12-1:2020 © IEC 2020
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY
AND HYBRID SYSTEMS FOR RURAL ELECTRIFICATION –

Part 12-1: Laboratory evaluation of lamps and
lighting appliances for off-grid electricity systems

1 Scope
This part of IEC 62257 establishes the framework for creating a product specification for
lamps and lighting appliances to serve as the basis for evaluating quality for a particular
context. Product specifications include minimum requirements for quality standards, warranty
requirements, and/or performance criteria. Products are compared to specifications based on
test results and other information about the product. The product specification framework is
flexible and can accommodate the goals of diverse organizations and institutions.
This document applies to lamps and lighting appliances for off-grid electricity systems that
have the following characteristics:
• The power supply is AC or DC:
– AC nominal voltages up to 250 V;
– DC nominal voltages up to 48 V.
• The light source is CFL, linear fluorescent, or LED.
• Operation of the lamp or lighting appliance does not require any components to be
supplied by the testing laboratory other than lampholders, wire, connectors, and a power
supply.
• The lamp or lighting appliance does not include a battery or energy source (for example, a
photovoltaic module or electromechanical generator).
Luminaires are included in the definition of “lighting appliances” if packaged together with a
lamp intended to be used with the luminaire. Luminaires without lamps are not included in the
scope of this document.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their
content constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition
cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including
any amendments) applies.
IEC 60068-2-6, Environmental testing – Part 2-6: Tests – Test Fc: Vibration (sinusoidal)
IEC 60529, Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP Code)
IEC 60598-1, Luminaires – Part 1: General requirements and tests
IEC 60598-2-1, Luminaires – Part 2-1: Particular requirements – Fixed general purpose
luminaires
IEC TS 61836, Solar photovoltaic energy systems – Terms, definitions and symbols

IEC TS 62257-9-5: 2018, Recommendations for renewable energy and hybrid systems for
rural electrification – Part 9-5: Integrated systems – Laboratory evaluation of stand-alone
renewable energy products for rural electrification
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions in IEC TS 61836 apply, as well
as the following.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
• IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
environmental conditions
characteristics, such as elevation, temperature, and humidity, that can influence performance
3.2
lux
SI unit of illuminance: illuminance produced on a surface of area 1 square metre by a
luminous flux of 1 lumen uniformly distributed over that surface
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-845:1987, 845-01-52]
3.3
illuminance
illuminance of an elementary surface
E
luminous flux received by an elementary surface divided by the area of this surface
Note 1 to entry: In the SI system of units illuminance is expressed in lux (lx) or lumens per square metre (lm/m ).
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-723:1997, 723-08-30]
3.4
luminous efficacy
luminous efficacy of a source
quotient of the luminous flux emitted by the power consumed by the source
Note 1 to entry: Unit: lm/W.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-845:1987, 845-01-55]
3.5
full width half maximum
FWHM
range of a variable over which a given characteristic is greater than 50 % of its maximum
value
Note 1 to entry: FWHM can be applied to characteristics such as radiation patterns, spectral linewidths, etc., and
the variable can be wavelength, spatial or angular properties, etc., as appropriate.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-731:1991, 731-01-57]

– 12 – IEC TS 62257-12-1:2020 © IEC 2020
3.6
power factor
under periodic conditions, ratio of the absolute value of the active power P to the apparent
power S
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-131:2002, 131-11-46, modified – The formula and note have been
omitted.]
3.7
active power
P
real power
effective power
under periodic conditions, mean value, taken over one period T, of the instantaneous power p:
T
P= pdt
∫
T
Note 1 to entry: The coherent SI unit for active power is the watt (W).
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-131:2002, 131-11-42, modified – Note 1 to entry has been omitted.]
3.8
total harmonic distortion
THD
ratio of the total r.m.s. value of the harmonics (in this context harmonic currents I of the
n
order n) of orders 2 to 40 to the r.m.s. value of the fundamental:
 
I
n
 
THD=
∑
 
I
 1
n=2
Note 1 to entry: This definition has been chosen in accordance with the relevant standard IEC 61000-2-2.
3.9
IP class
IP rating
IP code
degree of protection provided by enclosures for electrical equipment against penetration by
foreign bodies and dust/water
Note 1 to entry: IP classes are defined in IEC 60529.
[SOURCE: IEC TS 62257-9-5:2018, 3.16]
3.10
metadata
information that relates a test result to a specific sample and provides context about the result
(e.g. specific te
...