SolarBuyer Partners With the Photovoltaik Institute to Provide Independently Quality-Assured, Investment-Grade PV Modules

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• Publié par: pi-photovoltaik-institute-ag
• Nombre de lectures: 9
• Langue: English

Extrait

SolarBuyer Partners With the Photovoltaik

Institute to Provide Independently Quality-

Assured, Investment-Grade PV Modules

PR Newswire

BERLIN, June 13, 2012

BERLIN

,

June 13, 2012

/PRNewswire/ --

SolarBuyer, a specialized procurement management

company based in

Berlin, Germany

, and the PI-

Photovoltaik Institute Berlin AG (PI-Berlin), a leading

test and certification laboratory headquartered in

Berlin, Germany

, have created the solar industry's first

one-stop shop for professional PV module

procurement, independent quality assurance and

expert product testing services.

The new partnership enables SolarBuyer to offer enhanced module

procurement services for project developers, installers and banks that now

includes independent module testing by PI-Berlin. The new testing service is

focused on evaluating the long-term performance and reliability of PV modules

in order to help the buyer secure financing from banks and investors. A new

certification (PI-Cert) is available for manufacturers who successfully pass all

the tests.

The newly developed service includes a broad range of PV module

performance tests, including some tests which are not part of today's standard

IEC or UL testing, but have an important influence on the field performance of

modules. It also significantly extends standard IEC-based module stress testing

and is designed to identify any critical failure mechanisms in the modules being

tested. PI-

Berlin

is also able to compare the performance and reliability of each

module with benchmark data from different manufacturers.

The new testing service was jointly developed by PI-Berlin and SolarBuyer

based on demand from the market. PI-

Berlin

and SolarBuyer are offering the

testing and certification service to PV module buyers, banks or investors

seeking independent verification that modules will perform reliably in the field

over their expected life. The service is also available to PV manufacturers

seeking to improve financing options and market potential for their products.

Mr. Peter Rusch, Managing Director of SolarBuyer stated that 'This exciting new

addition to our service portfolio provides buyers and banks with a brand new

way to deal with the lack of relevant quality standards in the industry and help

buyers select and purchase investment-grade PV modules'. Mr. Sven Lehmann,

Board Member of PI-Berlin AG, said 'We are delighted to be working with

SolarBuyer to provide independent module testing that helps the module buyer

make the right decisions at a time when selecting the right manufacturer can

be a daunting task'.

About SolarBuyer, LLC (http://www.solarbuyer.com)

SolarBuyer provides unique procurement management services for the solar

industry. SolarBuyer has developed a PV module procurement model based on

aggregating buyers demand, independently auditing and qualifying PV

manufacturers and assuring the quality of purchased modules with direct

factory oversight and independent source inspection of every delivered

module. The goal is to ensure that every module is independently quality-

assured and free from defects impacting field performance and reliability.

About PI Berlin AG (http://www.pi-berlin.com)

PI-

Berlin

is one of the world's leading solar test laboratories and research

institutes with over 10 years' experience testing PV modules and developing

cutting-edge testing methods. The founders of PI-Berlin have over 50 years

combined experience in

Germany

, the world's largest solar market. PI-

Berlin

has also developed a range of field diagnosis services for systems which are

offered world-wide to system owners and investors. PI-

Berlin

has over 40

employees and operates state-of-the-art laboratories in

Berlin, Germany

and

Suzhou,

China

.

For further information please contact:

SolarBuyer, LLC

Photovoltaik Institute AG

USA

Mr. Ian Gregory

+1.508.459.8550

Wrangelstraße 100

Europe

Mr. Peter Rusch

+49.30.9559.1343

10997

Berlin

-

Germany

Sven Lehmeann [phone]