Download the PDF - Global Solar Technology

Why backsheet standards are anything but standard
Why backsheet standards are
anything but standard
The need to clarify testing procedures and ensure
product performance
Michelle Ostiguy, Director, Photovoltaic & Barrier, Flexcon, Spencer, Massachusetts, USA
When it comes to the production
of backsheet materials, both suppliers
and customers face the challenge
of dealing with a myriad of
competing standards and testing
procedures. Many of these standards
vary from one region to
another.
The establishment of a consistent
set of testing standards
is crucial to achieving dependable,
day-to-day product quality
and superior performance. This
has implications for the industry
at large: as the burden of varying
standards impedes the flow of
product advancement and innovation.
The good news is that industry-leading
fabricators and test
facilities are already engaged
in a collective effort to devise a
standardized and streamlined
approach to backsheet testing. In
the meantime, backsheet customers
need to look to their suppliers
for the analysis and insight necessary
to ensure meaningful, valueadded
test results.
Holding standards to the test
It’s a matter of relevance. For any OEM
or PV module manufacturer, the ultimate
purpose of testing is the reliable and costconscious
certification of finished modules.
Considering today’s complex standards
environment, the backsheet supplier is
important for assisting with and supporting
the customer’s certification efforts—both
in-house and through outside certification
agencies.
Considering your end-product
standard. The operational categories of
polymeric materials in modules include 1)
direct support of live parts, 2) outer surface,
3) enclosure, and 4) internal barrier. These
four categories are, in no particular order,
intended for backsheet, frontsheet, encapsulants,
and junction boxes. IEC test
requirements for backsheet are based on
direct support and outer surface operational
categories, while UL test requirements
are based on direct support, outer
surface, and enclosure operational categories.
IEC and UL are working together
toward common performance/safety stan-
10 – Global Solar & Alternative Energies – May/June 2013 www.globalsolartechnology.com