Q-Cells SE has received the Quality Tested seal of approval certification from the Association for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies (VDE) at the Intersolar Europe 2011 trade fair held in Munich, Germany. The certification was awarded to the company for improved dependability of solar modules.
Strict quality assurance checks at every step in the production sequence
Earlier, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, VDE, another PV company and Q-Cells collaborated to formulate a new test procedure that will establish the basis for Quality Tested seal of approval certification. Unlike the present standards set for testing solar modules, the VDE Quality Tested seal of approval requires improved level of quality that even surpassed the standard requirements set by the International Electrotechnical Commission.
To receive the VDE certification, solar modules are subjected to more rigorous testing procedures. The modules are made to undergo the damp heat test for longer duration of time and then subjected to increased level of stress during the heat cycling test. The maximum output reduction of the solar modules is 5% during the testing processes. The modules under test are continuously monitored for quality both during and after the production process. Deviations are addressed in the production process itself.