IEC 61730-1:2016

IEC 61730-1 ®
Edition 2.0 2016-08
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
colour
inside
Photovoltaic (PV) module safety qualification –
Part 1: Requirements for construction

Qualification pour la sûreté de fonctionnement des modules photovoltaïques
(PV) –
Partie 1: Exigences pour la construction

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.

Droits de reproduction réservés. Sauf indication contraire, aucune partie de cette publication ne peut être reproduite
ni utilisée sous quelque forme que ce soit et par aucun procédé, électronique ou mécanique, y compris la photocopie
et les microfilms, sans l'accord écrit de l'IEC ou du Comité national de l'IEC du pays du demandeur. Si vous avez des
questions sur le copyright de l'IEC ou si vous désirez obtenir des droits supplémentaires sur cette publication, utilisez
les coordonnées ci-après ou contactez le Comité national de l'IEC de votre pays de résidence.

IEC Central Office Tel.: +41 22 919 02 11
3, rue de Varembé Fax: +41 22 919 03 00
CH-1211 Geneva 20 info@iec.ch
Switzerland www.iec.ch
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 corrigenda or an amendment might have been published.

IEC Catalogue - webstore.iec.ch/catalogue Electropedia - www.electropedia.org
The stand-alone application for consulting the entire The world's leading online dictionary of electronic and
bibliographical information on IEC International Standards, electrical terms containing 20 000 terms and definitions in
Technical Specifications, Technical Reports and other English and French, with equivalent terms in 15 additional
documents. Available for PC, Mac OS, Android Tablets and languages. Also known as the International Electrotechnical
iPad. Vocabulary (IEV) online.

IEC publications search - www.iec.ch/searchpub IEC Glossary - std.iec.ch/glossary
The advanced search enables to find IEC publications by a 65 000 electrotechnical terminology entries in English and
variety of criteria (reference number, text, technical French extracted from the Terms and Definitions clause of
committee,…). It also gives information on projects, replaced IEC publications issued since 2002. Some entries have been
and withdrawn publications. collected from earlier publications of IEC TC 37, 77, 86 and

CISPR.
IEC Just Published - webstore.iec.ch/justpublished

Stay up to date on all new IEC publications. Just Published IEC Customer Service Centre - webstore.iec.ch/csc
details all new publications released. Available online and If you wish to give us your feedback on this publication or
also once a month by email. need further assistance, please contact the Customer Service
Centre: csc@iec.ch.
A propos de l'IEC
La Commission Electrotechnique Internationale (IEC) est la première organisation mondiale qui élabore et publie des
Normes internationales pour tout ce qui a trait à l'électricité, à l'électronique et aux technologies apparentées.

A propos des publications IEC
Le contenu technique des publications IEC est constamment revu. Veuillez vous assurer que vous possédez l’édition la
plus récente, un corrigendum ou amendement peut avoir été publié.

Catalogue IEC - webstore.iec.ch/catalogue Electropedia - www.electropedia.org
Application autonome pour consulter tous les renseignements
Le premier dictionnaire en ligne de termes électroniques et
bibliographiques sur les Normes internationales,
électriques. Il contient 20 000 termes et définitions en anglais
Spécifications techniques, Rapports techniques et autres
et en français, ainsi que les termes équivalents dans 15
documents de l'IEC. Disponible pour PC, Mac OS, tablettes
langues additionnelles. Egalement appelé Vocabulaire
Android et iPad.
Electrotechnique International (IEV) en ligne.

Recherche de publications IEC - www.iec.ch/searchpub
Glossaire IEC - std.iec.ch/glossary
La recherche avancée permet de trouver des publications IEC 65 000 entrées terminologiques électrotechniques, en anglais
en utilisant différents critères (numéro de référence, texte, et en français, extraites des articles Termes et Définitions des
comité d’études,…). Elle donne aussi des informations sur les publications IEC parues depuis 2002. Plus certaines entrées
projets et les publications remplacées ou retirées. antérieures extraites des publications des CE 37, 77, 86 et

CISPR de l'IEC.
IEC Just Published - webstore.iec.ch/justpublished

Service Clients - webstore.iec.ch/csc
Restez informé sur les nouvelles publications IEC. Just
Published détaille les nouvelles publications parues. Si vous désirez nous donner des commentaires sur cette
Disponible en ligne et aussi une fois par mois par email. publication ou si vous avez des questions contactez-nous:
csc@iec.ch.
IEC 61730-1 ®
Edition 2.0 2016-08
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
colour
inside
Photovoltaic (PV) module safety qualification –

Part 1: Requirements for construction

Qualification pour la sûreté de fonctionnement des modules photovoltaïques

(PV) –
Partie 1: Exigences pour la construction

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
INTERNATIONALE
ICS 27.160 ISBN 978-2-8322-3574-4

– 2 – IEC 61730-1:2016 © IEC 2016
CONTENTS
FOREWORD. 5
1 Scope . 7
2 Normative references . 7
3 Terms and definitions . 9
3.1 General terms and definitions . 10
3.2 Components. 11
3.3 Installation and application . 12
3.4 Insulation system . 12
3.5 Ratings . 14
4 Classification, applications and intended use . 16
4.1 General . 16
4.2 PV modules of class 0 . 16
4.2.1 General . 16
4.2.2 Insulation . 16
4.2.3 Application . 16
4.3 PV modules of class II . 17
4.3.1 General . 17
4.3.2 Insulation . 17
4.3.3 Application . 17
4.4 PV modules of class III . 17
4.4.1 General . 17
4.4.2 Insulation . 17
4.4.3 Application . 18
4.5 Intended use . 18
5 Requirements for design and construction . 18
5.1 General . 18
5.2 Marking and documentation . 19
5.2.1 General . 19
5.2.2 Marking . 19
5.2.3 Documentation . 21
5.3 Electrical components and insulation . 23
5.3.1 General . 23
5.3.2 Internal wiring . 23
5.3.3 External wiring and cables. 23
5.3.4 Connectors . 23
5.3.5 Junction boxes for PV modules . 23
5.3.6 Frontsheets and backsheets . 24
5.3.7 Insulation barriers . 24
5.3.8 Electrical connections . 24
5.3.9 Encapsulants . 25
5.3.10 Bypass diodes . 25
5.4 Mechanical and electromechanical connections . 25
5.4.1 General . 25
5.4.2 Screw connections . 26
5.4.3 Rivets . 27
5.4.4 Thread-cutting screws . 27
5.4.5 Form/press/tight fit . 27

5.4.6 Connections by adhesives . 27
5.4.7 Other connections . 28
5.5 Materials . 28
5.5.1 General . 28
5.5.2 Polymeric materials . 28
5.5.3 Metallic materials . 31
5.5.4 Adhesives . 31
5.6 Protection against electric shock . 31
5.6.1 General . 31
5.6.2 Protection against accessibility to hazardous live parts . 32
5.6.3 Insulation coordination . 33
5.6.4 Distance through insulation (dti) . 34
Annex A (informative) Symbol "Do not disconnect under load" . 40
Annex B (normative) Insulation coordination . 41
B.1 General . 41
B.2 Influencing factors . 41
B.2.1 General . 41
B.2.2 Overvoltage category (4.3.3.2 of IEC 60664-1:2007) and rated impulse
voltage . 41
B.3 Clearances . 43
B.4 Creepage distances . 45
B.4.1 General . 45
B.4.2 Voltage . 45
B.4.3 Orientation and location of a creepage distance . 45
B.4.4 Shape of insulating surface . 45
B.4.5 Time under voltage stress . 45
B.5 Cemented joints . 46
B.6 Enclosed parts . 46
B.7 Distance through insulation . 46
B.7.1 Cemented joints . 46
B.7.2 Insulation through thin layers . 46
B.8 Methods of measuring clearances (cl) and creepage distances (cr) . 47
B.9 Figures examples . 47

Figure 1 – IEC 60417-5017 . 21
Figure 2 – IEC 60417-5021 . 21
Figure 3 – IEC 60417-5018 . 21
Figure 4 – Examples for individual layer assessment for relied upon insulation . 37
Figure A.1 – Symbol "DO NOT DISCONNECT UNDER LOAD" . 40
Figure A.2 – Symbol "DO NOT DISCONNECT UNDER LOAD” (IEC 60417-6070) . 40
Figure B.1 – Examples (1 to 11) of methods of measuring clearances and creepage
distances . 50
Figure B.2 – Example for insulation coordination at glass/foil PV modules – No
cemented joint configuration . 50
Figure B.3 – Example for creepage distance at glass/glass modules with edge
insulation – No cemented joint configuration . 51
Figure B.4 – Example for a glass/glass module with cemented joints . 51

– 4 – IEC 61730-1:2016 © IEC 2016
Table 1 – Correlation between classes for protection against electric shock and former
terms for application classes . 16
Table 2 – Required type of insulation as defined in IEC 61140 . 33
Table 3 – Distances through insulation, creepage distances (cr) and clearances (cl)
for Class II PV modules . 38
Table 4 – Distances through insulation, creepage distances (cr) and clearances (cl) for
Class 0 and class III PV modules . 39
Table B.1 – Rated impulse voltage . 42
Table B.2 – Minimum clearances . 44
Table B.3 – Multiplication factors for clearances of equipment rated for operation at
altitudes up to 7 000 m. 44
Table B.4 – Dimensions of X . 47

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) MODULE SAFETY QUALIFICATION –

Part 1: Requirements for construction

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) 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.
International Standard IEC 61730-1 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 82: Solar
photovoltaic energy systems.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition of IEC 61730-1, issued in 2004, and
its amendments 1 (2011) and 2 (2013); it constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
a) Adaption of horizontal standards and inclusion of IEC 60664 and IEC 61140.
b) Implementation of insulation coordination, overvoltage category, classes, pollution degree
(PD), and material groups (MG).
c) Implementation of component qualification.
d) IEC Guide 108 Guidelines for ensuring the coherency of IEC publications – Application of
horizontal standards.
– 6 – IEC 61730-1:2016 © IEC 2016
e) Definition of creepage (cr), clearance (cl) and distance through insulation.
The text of this standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
82/1128/FDIS 82/1146/RVD
Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard 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 in the IEC 61730 series, published under the general title Photovoltaic (PV)
module safety qualification, can be found on the IEC website.
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
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
IMPORTANT – The 'colour inside' logo on the cover page of this publication indicates
that it contains colours which are considered to be useful for the correct
understanding of its contents. Users should therefore print this document using a
colour printer.
PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) MODULE SAFETY QUALIFICATION –

Part 1: Requirements for construction

1 Scope
This part of IEC 61730 specifies and describes the fundamental construction requirements for
photovoltaic (PV) modules in order to provide safe electrical and mechanical operation.
Specific topics are provided to assess the prevention of electrical shock, fire hazards, and
personal injury due to mechanical and environmental stresses. This part of IEC 61730
pertains to the particular requirements of construction. IEC 61730-2 defines the requirements
for testing.
This International Standard series lays down IEC requirements of terrestrial photovoltaic
modules suitable for long-term operation in open-air climates. This standard is intended to
apply to all terrestrial flat plate module materials such as crystalline silicon module types as
well as thin-film modules.
PV modules covered by this standard are limited to a maximum DC system voltage of
1 500 V.
This International Standard defines the basic requirements for various applications of PV
modules, but it cannot be considered to encompass all national or regional codes. Specific
requirements, e.g. for building, marine and vehicle applications, are not covered.
This International Standard does not address specific requirements for products that combine
a PV module with power conversion equipment, monitoring or control electronics, such as
integrated inverters, converters or output disabling functions.
While parts of this standard may be applicable to flat plate PV modules with internally
generated low level concentration below 3 times, it was not written specifically to address
these concerns.
This International Standard is designed to coordinate with the test sequences in the
IEC 61215 series, so that a single set of samples may be used to perform both the safety and
qualification of a photovoltaic module design.
The object of this International Standard is to define the requirements for the construction of
photovoltaic modules with respect to safety. These requirements are intended to minimize the
misapplication and misuse of PV modules or the failure of their components which could
result in fire, electric shock and personal injury.
Additional construction requirements outlined in relevant ISO standards, or the national or
local codes which govern the installation and use of these PV modules in their intended
locations, should be considered in addition to the requirements contained within this standard.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and
are indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
– 8 – IEC 61730-1:2016 © IEC 2016
IEC 60050 (all parts), International Electrotechnical Vocabulary
IEC 60112, Method for the determination of the proof and the comparative tracking indices of
solid insulating materials
IEC 60216-1, Electrical insulating materials – Thermal endurance properties – Part 1: Ageing
procedures and evaluation of test results
IEC 60216-2, Electrical insulating materials – Thermal endurance properties – Part 2:
Determination of thermal endurance properties of electrical insulating materials – Choice of
test criteria
IEC 60216-5, Electrical insulating materials – Thermal endurance properties – Part 5:
Determination of relative thermal endurance index (RTE) of an insulating material
IEC 60243-1:2013, Electric strength of insulating materials – Test methods – Part 1: Tests at
power frequencies
IEC 60243-2:2013, Electric strength of insulating materials – Test methods – Part 2:
Additional requirements for tests using direct voltage
IEC 60269-6, Low-voltage fuses – Part 6: Supplementary requirements for fuse-links for the
protection of solar photovoltaic energy systems
IEC 60364-7-712, Electrical installations of buildings – Part 7-712: Requirements for special
installations or locations – Solar photovoltaic (PV) power supply systems
IEC 60417-DB, Graphical symbols for use on equipment
IEC 60529, Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP code)
IEC 60664-1:2007, Insulation coordination for equipment within low-voltage systems – Part 1:
Principles, requirements and tests
IEC TR 60664-2-1, Insulation coordination for equipment within low-voltage systems – Part 2-
1: Application guide – Explanation of the application of the IEC 60664 series, dimensioning
examples and dielectric testing
IEC 60664-3:2003, Insulation coordination for equipment within low-voltage systems – Part 3:
Use of coating, potting or moulding for protection against pollution
IEC 60695-10-2, Fire hazard testing – Part 10-2: Abnormal heat – Ball pressure test method
IEC 60695-11-10, Fire hazard testing – Part 11-10: Test flames – 50 W horizontal and vertical
flame test methods
IEC 60904-3, Photovoltaic devices – Part 3: Measurement principles for terrestrial
photovoltaic (PV) solar devices with reference spectral irradiance data
IEC 60950-1:2005, Information technology equipment – Safety – Part 1: General requirements
IEC 61032:1997, Protection of persons and equipment by enclosures – Probes for verification
IEC 61140, Protection against electric shock – Common aspects for installation and
equipment
IEC 61215 (all parts), Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules – Design qualification and type
approval
IEC 61558-1:2005, Safety of power transformers, power supplies, reactors and similar
products – Part 1: General requirements and tests
IEC 61701, Salt mist corrosion testing of photovoltaic (PV) modules
IEC 61730-2, Photovoltaic (PV) module safety qualification – Part 2: Requirements for testing
IEC TS 61836, Solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems – Terms, definitions and symbols
IEC 62548, Photovoltaic (PV) arrays – Design requirements
IEC 62716, Photovoltaic (PV) modules – Ammonia corrosion testing
IEC 62788-1-2, Measurement procedures for materials used in photovoltaic modules – Part 1-
2: Encapsulants – Measurement of volume resistivity of photovoltaic encapsulants and other
polymeric materials
IEC 62790, Junction boxes for photovoltaic modules – Safety requirements and tests
IEC 62852, Connectors for DC-application in photovoltaic systems – Safety requirements and
tests
IEC TS 62915, Photovoltaic (PV) Modules – Retesting for type approval, design and safety
qualification
ISO 1456, Metallic and other inorganic coatings – Electrodeposited coatings of nickel, nickel
plus chromium, copper plus nickel and of copper plus nickel plus chromium
ISO 1461, Hot dip galvanized coatings on fabricated iron and steel articles – Specifications
and test methods
ISO 2081, Metallic and other inorganic coatings – Electroplated coatings of zinc with
supplementary treatments on iron or steel
ISO 2093, Electroplated coatings of tin – Specification and test methods
EN 50618, Electric cables for Photovoltaic systems
UL 746B, Polymeric Material – Long Term Property Evaluations
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC 60050,
IEC 60664-1, IEC 61140, and IEC TS 61836 together with the following, apply.
NOTE Some terms from IEC 60050 were modified to make them more specific and applicable to PV modules.

– 10 – IEC 61730-1:2016 © IEC 2016
3.1 General terms and definitions
3.1.1
functional earthing
earthing point or points in a system or in an installation or in equipment, for purposes other
than electrical safety
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-195:1998, 195-01-13]
3.1.2
internal wiring
wiring and electrical connections that are made within the apparatus by its manufacturer
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-426:2008, 426-11-32]
3.1.3
laminate
product made by bonding together two or more layers of the same or different materials. This
includes all components prior to attaching the junction box, frame or rail, and name plate
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-212:2010, 212-15-52, modified: Second sentence added]
3.1.4
manufacturer
any legal entity manufacturing a product or has a product designed or manufactured, and
markets that product under its name or trademark
3.1.5
module quality test
MQT
PV module quality test in accordance with IEC 61215-2
3.1.6
module safety test
MST
PV module safety test in accordance with IEC 61730-2
3.1.7
polymeric material
natural or synthetic material primarily composed of chained molecules of monomers,
combinations of monomers, combined polymers, crosslinking agents, inorganic fillers,
colorants, and other materials
3.1.8
tool
screwdriver, coin, key, or any other object that is used to operate a screw, latch, or similar
fastening means
3.1.9
wiring
wiring that is not internal wiring, including, but not limited to, output cables
3.1.10
thin layer
cohesive material of uniform thickness which is small in proportion to length and width

3.2 Components
3.2.1
backsheet
(combination of) outer layer(s) of the PV module, located on the back of PV module and
providing protection of the inner components of the PV module from external stresses and
weather elements, as well as electrical insulation
3.2.2
connector
component which terminates conductors for the purpose of providing connection to and
disconnection from a suitable mating component
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-581:2008, 581-06-01]
3.2.3
encapsulant
intermediate layer(s) of the PV module, located between the frontsheet and the backsheet
that enclose the live parts of the PV module
3.2.4
enclosure
part of an assembly providing a specified degree of protection of equipment against external
influences and a specified degree of protection against approach to or contact with live parts
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-441:1984, 441-13-01, modified: “moving parts” deleted]
3.2.5
frontsheet
(combination of) outer layer(s) of the PV module, located on the front of PV module and
providing protection of the inner components of the PV module from external stresses and
weather elements, as well as electrical insulation
3.2.6
insulation barrier
raised or recessed configuration of an insulator to increase creepage distance between
conducting surfaces
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-581:2008, 581-22-15]
3.2.7
junction box
electrical enclosure in which electrical wiring connections are made
3.2.8
potting
sealing of components and associated conductors with a compound to exclude contaminants
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-581:2008, 581-24-20]
3.2.9
terminal
conductive part of a device, electric circuit or electric network, provided for connecting that
device, electric circuit or electric network to one or more external conductors
Note 1 to entry: The term "terminal" is also used for a connection point in circuit theory. [IEC 60050-151:2001,
151-12-12]
– 12 – IEC 61730-1:2016 © IEC 2016
Note 2 to entry: Terminals can contain one or several contacts and the term therefore includes sockets,
connectors, etc.
3.3 Installation and application
3.3.1
building attached PV
BAPV
photovoltaic modules are considered to be building attached if the PV modules are mounted
on a building envelope and do not fulfil the criteria for building integrated PV
3.3.2
building integrated PV
BIPV
photovoltaic modules are considered to be building integrated if the PV modules form a
building component providing additional functions as defined in 4.5 b)
3.3.3
installation
permanent wiring system such as a raceway or conduit that prevents or reduces wire and
cable movement
3.3.4
installation
unconstrained wiring system that consists of cables or wires able to move freely
3.3.5
non-restricted access area
area where general access by persons who are not skilled, trained or instructed in electrical
safety is anticipated
Note 1 to entry: Examples for non-restricted access areas are PV installations which are not protected against
public access by any means.
3.3.6
restricted access area
area marked as restricted for access by unauthorized persons as per IEC 60050-826:2004,
826-18-04
Note 1 to entry: Examples for restricted access areas are utility scale PV installations which are protected against
public access by fences, location, etc., and where only persons skilled, trained or instructed in electrical safety
have access.
3.4 Insulation system
3.4.1
accessible part
part which can be touched by means of a standard test finger
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-442:1998, 442-01-15]
3.4.2
cemented joint
joint comprised of two insulating materials where the interface has been demonstrated to be
cemented, and thus be considered as solid insulation with no interface for creepage

3.4.3
comparative tracking index
CTI
numerical index value related to the maximum voltage which a material can withstand without
a permanent electrically conductive carbon path tracking when evaluated under specified test
conditions defined in IEC 60112
Note 1 to entry: The mentioned maximum test voltage is not in conjunction with any system or operational
voltage, but it is used for evaluation of material groups.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-212:2010, 212-11-59, modified: clarified that CTI is an index value to
evaluate material groups]
3.4.4
clearance
shortest distance through air between two conductive parts, or between a conductive part and
an accessible surface. (used abbreviation in this standard: “cl”)
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-581:2008, 581-27-76, modified: added information after “comma” and
abbreviation]
3.4.5
creepage distance
shortest distance along the surface of a solid insulating material between two conductive live
parts or between conductive live parts and accessible parts. (used abbreviation in this
standard: “cr”)
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-581:2008, 581-21-23, modified: added information after “or” and
abbreviation]
3.4.6
insulation
part of an electrotechnical product which separates conducting parts at different electric
potentials during operation or insulates such parts from the surroundings
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-212:2010, 212-11-07]
3.4.7
live part
conductor or conductive part intended to be energized in normal operation
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-195:1998, 195-02-19, modified: second part of definition deleted
because not applicable to DC]
3.4.8 Insulation concepts
3.4.8.1
basic insulation
insulation of hazardous live parts which provides basic protection against electric shock
Note 1 to entry: The concept does not apply to insulation used exclusively for functional purposes.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-826:2004, 826-12-14, modified: added: “against electric shock”]
3.4.8.2
double insulation
insulation comprising both basic insulation and supplementary insulation
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-826:2004, 826-12-16]

– 14 – IEC 61730-1:2016 © IEC 2016
3.4.8.3
functional insulation
insulation that is necessary for the proper functioning of the equipment
Note 1 to entry: Functional insulation by definition does not protect against electric shock. It may, however,
reduce the likelihood of ignition and fire.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-195:1998, 195-02-41]
3.4.8.4
reinforced insulation
insulation of hazardous live parts which provides a degree of protection against electric shock
equivalent to double insulation
Note 1 to entry: Reinforced insulation may comprise several layers that cannot be tested singly as basic
insulation or supplementary insulation.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-826:2004, 826-12-17]
3.4.8.5
supplementary insulation
independent insulation applied in addition to basic insulation for fault protection, e.g. in order
to reduce the risk of electric shock in the event of a failure of the basic insulation
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-826:2004, 826-12-15, modified: added example]
3.4.8.6
solid insulation
insulating material consisting entirely of a solid
Note 1 to entry: Solid insulating material interposed between two conductive parts or between conductive parts
and outer accessible parts or surfaces with no interfaces and therefore there is no creepage pathway.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-212:2010, 212-11-02]
3.4.9
material group
category of insulation materials according to IEC 60664-1
3.4.10
relied upon insulation
insulation system providing the sole protection against electric shock in final application
Note 1 to entry: A polymeric backsheet or frontsheet can consist of relied upon insulation plus additional layers
that, e.g., protect the polymeric materials from UV light.
3.5 Ratings
3.5.1
rating
set of rated values and operating conditions
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-151:2001, 151-016-11]
3.5.2
pollution degree
numeric classification characteristic of the expected pollution of the micro-environment
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-581:2008, 581-21-07]

3.5.3
rated current of overcurrent protection device
current rating of fuse or circuit breaker according to IEC 60269-6
3.5.4
rated value
value of a quantity used for specification purposes, established for a specified set of operating
conditions of a component, device, equipment, or system
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-151:2001, 151-16-08]
3.5.5 Temperatures
3.5.5.1
ambient temperature
average temperature of air or another medium in the vicinity of the equipment
Note 1 to entry: During the measurement of the ambient temperature the measuring instrument/probe should be
shielded from draughts and radiant heating.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-826:2004, 826-10-03]
3.5.5.2
environmental temperature
air temperature defined in degrees Celsius for the geographic installation location as
measured and documented by meteorological services for this geographic location
3.5.5.3
relative temperature index
RTI
temperature index of an insulating material or system obtained from the time which
corresponds to the known temperature index of a reference material or system when both are
subjected to the same ageing and diagnostic procedures in a comparative test
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-212:2010, 212-12-12]
3.5.5.4
relative thermal endurance index
RTE
numerical value of the Celsius temperature expressed in degrees Celsius at which the
estimated time to endpoint of an insulating material is the same as the estimated time to
endpoint of a control material at a temperature equal to its assessed thermal endurance
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-212:2010, 212-12-14]
3.5.5.5
temperature index
TI
numerical value of the Celsius temperature expressed in degrees Celsius characterizing the
thermal capability of an insulating material or an insulation system
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-212:2010, 212-12-11]
3.5.6 Voltages
3.5.6.1
rated system voltage
maximum voltage under operating conditions between any live part and accessible surfaces
or ground to which the insulation of the PV module is designed as specified by the
manufacturer
– 16 – IEC 61730-1:2016 © IEC 2016
3.5.6.2
working voltage
highest DC voltage across any particular insulation which can occur when the equipment is
operated at rated voltage
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-581:2008, 581-21-19, modified: limited to DC and replaced “supplied”
by “operated”]
4 Classification, applications and intended use
4.1 General
Protection against electric shock will be achieved by combinations of constructional measures
used t
...