Renewable Energy Test Center Obtains ISO/IEC17025 Accreditation from A2LA
TUV SUD America's Partner for Photovoltaics Testing
Fremont, California. Renewable Energy Test Center (RETC, LLC), TUV SUD America's partner for Photovoltaics Testing, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation from The American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA). The scope of the ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation applies to all IEC and UL Test Standards required for PV certification, and includes:
o IEC 61215 for c-Si Flat-Plate Panels
o IEC 61646 for Thin Film Flat-Plate Panels
o IEC 62108 for Concentrator PV
o IEC 61730 Standard for Safety for Flat-Plate Panels (Europe)
o IEC 60904 Standard for Cell Testing and Characterization
o UL 1703 Standard for Safety for Flat-Plate Panels (USA)
o ULC/ORD C-1703 Standard for Safety for Flat-Plate Panels (Canada)
"Leveraging on RETC's vast experience in equipment design and fabrication, process development, PV Testing, and Quality Standards, RETC was able to successfully achieve its ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation in a brief three-month period, soon after the official move into our 26,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art PV Testing Laboratory in the heart of the Silicon Valley," states Ms. Alelie Funcell, President and CEO, RETC, LLC. "Our broad range of PV Testing Services, which includes listing to UL 1703 by a NRTL, and ISO/IEC 17025 A2LA accreditation, qualifies us to become an ILAC-Affiliated Laboratory. RETC is now listed by The California Energy Commission (CEC) as one of the ILAC-Affiliated Laboratories for PV."
"TUV SUD America is also in the process of obtaining ULC/ORD C-1703 Accreditation from Standards Council of Canada (SCC) through its partnership with RETC. With the lengthy turn-around times of PV testing and certification both in the U.S. and globally, this additional milestone demonstrates the two organizations' drive to further the advancements of solar energy technologies," added Mr. Karsten Xander, President and CEO, TUV SUD America.
"RETC's highly experienced PV engineers provide product characterization at cell and module levels, and combined with TUV SUD's global presence, reinforce our commitment to bring quality and one-stop-shop testing capabilities in Photovoltaics for our customers," continued Ms. Funcell.
"RETC's achievement complements TUV SUD's strategy to deliver a myriad of PV test solutions for long-term small- and medium-scale energy validation and degradation analysis at Multiple Test Sites. This provides various weather patterns / insolation, and soiling rates for Outdoor Testing and Data Collection," concluded Dr. Ing. Robert Puto, Global PV Director, TUV SUD.
In mid-2009, TUV SUD America and RETC established a cooperative agreement to provide Photovoltaic Testing and Certification Services. The RETC-TUV SUD America partnership was established to accelerate TUV SUD's plan to bolster a strong foothold in the global solar energy market. TUV SUD has existing accreditation to IEC 61215, IEC 61646, IEC 61730, and UL 1741. Additionally, TUV SUD provides global testing and certification for Photovoltaics (PV) and renewable energy products, including third-party outdoor performance and reliability testing.
For more information on TUV SUD America's Photovoltaics Testing, visit http://tuvamerica.com/services/photovoltaics.cfm.
For more information on Renewable Energy Test Center, visit https://retc-ca.com/
Register today for RETC-TUV SUD America's Fremont Open House on July 12th at www.tuvamerica.com/services/photovoltaics.cfm, or visit Booth 8926 at InterSolar North America, July 13-15th in San Francisco.
Media Relations:
For RETC information, contact:
Alelie Funcell
President and CEO
RETC, LLC
510-226-1635
alelief@retc-ca.com
For more information, contact:
Regan Arndt
PV Manager & Technical Certifier
TUV SUD America Inc..
858.678.1416
rarndt@tuvam.com
For editorial information, contact:
Carmen A. Hopwood
Marketing Director
TUV SUD America Inc.
978.573.2577
chopwood@tuvam.com
About TUV SUD America Inc.
TUV SUD America Inc., a subsidiary of TUV SUD AG, Munich, Germany, is a leading globally recognized testing and certification organization. TÃœV's Auditing Division provides management system certification services to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, AS9100, AS9120, ISO 13485, TL 9000, Safe Quality Food (SQF), ISO 22000, and more. TUV SUD's Testing Division offers Electrical and Mechanical Product Safety, Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) testing, Environmental Testing, NRTL and SCC certification, CE Marking assistance, Restricted Substance Services, International Compliance Services, and more. The company's Industry Division offers a full suite of services for pressure equipment manufacturers and materials producers exporting products to the European Community. Globally, TUV SUD has over $1.5 billion sales and 15,000 employees at over 600 locations worldwide.
About RETC, LLC
RETC is an engineering services, and independent testing and certification provider for photovoltaic and renewable energy products. RETC's state-of-the-art PV Test Laboratory is located in Fremont, California. The company consists of a highly experienced leadership and engineering team, with expertise in quality, reliability testing, test equipment design / fabrication, and manufacturing operations. RETC is ISO/IEC 17025 accredited and has the capacity and scope to certify PV products for North America, Europe, and Asia. RETC offers the following Standards for PV testing: IEC 61215, IEC 61730, IEC 61646, IEC 62108, IEC 60904, UL 1703, and UL 1741, and other renewable energy product testing that will complement these IEC and UL standards. RETC also offers Outdoor Endurance Testing capabilities to support the growing need for a third-party performance validation and monitoring of PV products, including BOS devices (trackers / tracking system controls and monitoring, inverters), and other renewable product components. RETC is under TUV SUD America's NRTL scope and plans to obtain CBTL status by the end of 2010, to achieve the ultimate offering in industry quality standards, and the most sought-after certification program for international trade.
