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BY Tali Aaron : April 12

Photovoltaic Panel Safety Testing - Why is it Important?

solar photovoltaic panels 2


Along with the push to use environmentally sound building elements comes the need for those items to be verifiably safe. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has moved into safety testing of solar photovoltaic panels by opening three dedicated facilities since 2008, including the largest facility in Europe, in Franfurt, Germany.

Underwriters Laboratories became well known for evaluating, testing and certifying electrical products and components starting in 1894. Currently Underwriters Laboratories is also working to develop standards in the area of solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies.  The trusted UL label is available for the United States and Canada, and Underwriters Laboratories is also working with other industry leaders to coordinate its standards with the global International Electro-technical Commission (IEC) standards.

Why is certification needed? Solar photovoltaic panels are devices that convert sunlight to electricity by way of semiconducting materials. The panels are only part of the system, since auxiliary equipment to connect the panels to the building wiring or to the electrical grid is also essential. The photovoltaic panels are tested for exposure to hail, rain and the extremes of outdoor elements, but if the connections to the electrical system are improperly installed, problems can occur. Recent news events such as the fire at a British Petroleum facility have raised questions. Although safety issues with solar photovoltaic panels have been rare, they may increase as the technology becomes widely used.

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Posted in: Alternative Energy, Certification Agencies, Professionals Services, Solar Energy
Tags: photovoltaic (212)   UL (128)   photovoltaic panels (9)   fotonaponski paneli (4)   panelet fotovoltaike (3)   Green Building Products (16)   green building (297)   panel diellor (8)   Certification (43)   φωτοβολταικα πανελ (4)   proracun fotonaponskih panela (3)   
Last Modified: April 12, 2010 at 10:46 am
First Published: April 12, 2010 at 10:42 am

9 Responses to Photovoltaic Panel Safety Testing - Why is it Important?

  2. LG LED Lighting on March 17, 2012 at 8:27 am


    RT @cleangreenpro: Photovoltaic Panel Safety Testing - Why is it Important? http://t.co/4dMvJtTU

    Reply
  3. ULdialogue on March 16, 2012 at 4:42 pm


    Photovoltaic Panel Safety Testing - Why is it Important? http://t.co/rGWEvikA #eco #cleantech #greenbuilding #renewableenergy

    Reply
  4. buildaroo on March 16, 2012 at 3:31 pm


    Photovoltaic Panel Safety Testing - Why is it Important? http://t.co/rGWEvikA #eco #cleantech #greenbuilding #renewableenergy

    Reply
  5. buildaroo on July 31, 2011 at 10:20 am


    Photovoltaic Panel Safety Testing - Why is it Important? http://bit.ly/dqSx7Z #eco #cleantech #greenbuilding #renewableenergy

    Reply
  6. آبگرمکن خورشیدی on April 8, 2011 at 5:57 am


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  7. buildaroo on February 18, 2011 at 4:04 pm


    Photovoltaic Panel Safety Testing - Why is it Important? http://bit.ly/dqSx7Z #eco #cleantech #greenbuilding #renewableenergy

    Reply
  8. SolarEdge on April 27, 2010 at 6:47 pm


    RT @buildaroo: PV panel safety testing – Why it's important http://bit.ly/apTC5Q we know it's important and make sure it is safe

    Reply
  9. SolarEdge on April 27, 2010 at 6:43 pm


    RT @buildaroo: PV panel safety testing – Why it's important http://bit.ly/dqSx7Z we know it's important and make sure it is safe

    Reply
  10. Solar Pacific Energy on April 15, 2010 at 3:43 am


    RT @buildaroo: PV panel safety testing - Why it's important http://bit.ly/dqSx7Z #greenbuilding #renewableenergy #cleantech #eco #solar

    Reply

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