IEC TS 63140:2021

IEC TS 63140 ®
Edition 1.0 2021-04
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATION
colour
inside
Photovoltaic (PV) modules – Partial shade endurance testing for monolithically
integrated products
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IEC TS 63140 ®
Edition 1.0 2021-04
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATION
colour
inside
Photovoltaic (PV) modules – Partial shade endurance testing for monolithically

integrated products
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 27.160 ISBN 978-2-8322-9741-4

– 2 – IEC TS 63140:2021 © IEC 2021
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 6
4 Principle . 7
5 Apparatus . 8
6 Procedure . 10
6.1 General . 10
6.2 Use test (test U) . 10
6.3 Misuse test (test M) and most severe misuse test (test SM) . 11
6.3.1 General . 11
6.3.2 Initial measurements . 11
6.3.3 Misuse test (test M) . 11
6.3.4 Most severe misuse test (test SM) . 12
6.3.5 Final measurements . 13
7 Test report . 14

Figure 1 – Selection of the three available tests . 7
Figure 2 – Dimensions of the mask for test M (left) and the mask for test SM (right) . 10
Figure 3 – Illustration of test M, showing the movement of the fixed-size mask across
example modules of three different sizes . 12
Figure 4 – Illustration of test SM, showing the overlap of the mask with the module’s
full height and the movement of the mask across example modules of three different
sizes . 13

Table 1 – Test types available in this document . 8

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) MODULES – PARTIAL SHADE ENDURANCE
TESTING FOR MONOLITHICALLY INTEGRATED PRODUCTS

FOREWORD
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IEC TS 63140 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 82: Solar photovoltaic energy
systems. It is a Technical Specification.
The text of this Technical Specification is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
82/1804/DTS 82/1836/RVDTS
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this Technical Specification is English.
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement, available
at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by IEC are
described in greater detail at www.iec.ch/standardsdev/publications.

– 4 – IEC TS 63140:2021 © IEC 2021
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data related to
the specific document. At this date, the document will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
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PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) MODULES – PARTIAL SHADE ENDURANCE
TESTING FOR MONOLITHICALLY INTEGRATED PRODUCTS

1 Scope
This document provides test methods for quantifying the permanent change in a monolithically
integrated PV module’s power output that may result from some potential partial shade
conditions. Three tests are available, representing conditions of use, misuse, and most severe
misuse. This document is applicable to monolithically integrated PV modules with one series-
connected cell group or with multiple series-connected cell groups that are in turn connected in
parallel. This document is not applicable to PV modules formed by the interconnection of
separate cells.
With regard to shading, PV module documentation varies significantly by manufacturer. The
physical tests prescribed in this document are applied without regard to manufacturer
documentation or warranty policy, which may forbid certain shadows. The tests may therefore
go beyond intended use, testing a module’s response to misuse. The tests are accelerated tests.
They are intended to excite similar levels of stress as shadows that are possible during an
extended period of outdoor service. The tests represent adverse shadow scenarios, but not
necessarily the worst case scenario, which varies by product. The procedures are performed
repeatedly and in high-irradiance conditions; shadows occurring only one time or in low-
irradiance conditions are likely to cause less damage. This test procedure does not
comprehensively evaluate the efficacy or completeness of manufacturer recommendations.
This test procedure is not equivalent to, and is not intended to replace, the hot-spot endurance
test in IEC 61215-2. The safety aspects of partial shading of PV modules are covered by
IEC 61730-2 MST 22 and IEC 61215-2 MQT 09.
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 60904-1, Photovoltaic devices – Part 1: Measurement of photovoltaic current-voltage
characteristics
IEC 60904-2, Photovoltaic devices – Part 2: Requirements for photovoltaic reference devices
IEC 60904-9, Photovoltaic devices – Part 9: Classification of solar simulator characteristics
IEC 60904-10, Photovoltaic devices – Part 10: Methods of linear dependence and linearity
measurements
IEC TS 60904-13, Photovoltaic devices – Part 13: Electroluminescence of photovoltaic modules
IEC 61215-2:2021, Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules – Design qualification and type
approval – Part 2: Test procedures
IEC 61730-2, Photovoltaic (PV) module safety qualification – Part 2: Requirements for testing
IEC TS 61836, Solar photovoltaic energy systems – Terms, definitions and symbols

– 6 – IEC TS 63140:2021 © IEC 2021
IEC 61853-1, Photovoltaic (PV) module performance testing and energy rating – Part 1:
Irradiance and temperature performance measurements and power rating
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC TS 61836 and the
following apply.
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
intended use
use of a product, process or product-related service in accordance with the informati
...