Comprehensive in-factory quality assurance and quality control for PV equipment

Enertis Applus+ carried out quality inspections during the PV module manufacturing process, auditing the manufacturing lines; supervising the process, and verifying the traceability of the materials; carrying out tests in its independent laboratory and electroluminescence and visual inspections upon the delivery of the modules for batch validation. Enertis also supervised the assembly process and completed the work by performing thermography, visual inspections, and night-time electroluminescence tests on the installed PV modules. During the operation phase, Enertis Applus+ carried out module degradation measurements and solar pyranometers calibrations.

Enertis Applus+ assisted Voltalia providing its specialised and independent advice during the pre-manufacturing, manufacturing, and pre-shipment phases. As part of the services that were performed, the company carried out vendor surveillance, namely factory inspections, in China to oversee and evaluate the raw materials for solar PV modules. Also, Enertis Applus+ assessed the compliance of the manufacturing process with the established quality standards and its experienced quality inspectors supervised the entire manufacturing process in China. The services also included pre-shipment factory acceptance tests (FAT).  Enertis Applus+ also performed additional and specific tests on the modules in its accredited external laboratory (ISO/IEC 17025, ISO/IEC 17020 and CBTL/IECEE), including the determination of the maximum power under standard conditions, visual, EL, Light Induced Degradation (LID), Potential Induced Degradation (PID) and the Light and Elevated Temperature Induced Degradation Index (LeTID) tests. These tasks are necessary to evaluate the quality and optimal performance of the modules. Similarly, specific tests were carried out on inverters and solar trackers to verify their compliance with predefined technical requirements.