ENEA-PV Smart Laboratory

PVSMART (Photovoltaic for Supporting the Market and for Advanced Research Testing) laboratory  of ENEA is  located in Portici near Naples in the Southern  Italy and  performs tests over flat PV modules both crystalline silicon made and  thin film type technologies.  It boasts to be  a centre of excellence for Photovoltaics and as National reference in this field it participates to National and European funded programs.

The activity undertaken at PVSMART laboratory of CR ENEA in Portici aims to fulfil two main objectives:

• to evaluate the quality of the modules,
• to determine their degree of reliability and the life time.

 Standard techniques and laboratory based methodologies have been introduces for performing tests and diagnostic evaluation of commercial photovoltaic modules. The laboratory complies with the Standard  (CEI EN 61215 – Class. CEI 82-8 – CT 82 – “Crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules for terrestrial applications-qualification of the project and type approval” -1997), equivalent to the European standard EN 61215: 1995-04 and to  the international standard IEC 1215 (1993) and with the Standard CEI EN 61646 ″Thin-film photovoltaic modules for terrestrial applications. Design qualification and type approval”, equivalent to the European standard EN 61646: 1997-01 and to the international standard “IEC 1646: 1996-11″

MAIN TECHNICAL FEATURES::

• I-V characteristic in the dark and under illumination (Class A large area solarsimulator Pasan IIIb from Belval S.A.) at STC,
• NOCT Performace analysis.
• Mechanical tests ; Visual inspection,
• Dry and Wet insulation; Light soaking
• Capacitance vs. applied voltage and Frequency,
• Frequency Response Analysis, Electric isolation
• Infrared analysis, Thermal characteristics analysis.
• Optical transmittance analysis,
• Available accelerated tests :
• damp heat, humidity freeze and thermal cycling tests - 40°C up to 90 °C in temperature and 0-90 % for the relative humidity;
• salt spray corrosion test in a temperature range between room temperature and 55°C and R.H range between 50% and over the saturation condition
• UV test to test long term exposure to ultra violet radiations (A and B part of the spectrum) with adjustable climatic parameters (temperature: 20-80 °C, relativehumidity: 20-90 %). The maximum irradiance on the testing plane (2 x 1.2 m2) is 250 W/ m2

LIMITATIONS OR CONSTRAINTS :

The access will be allowed with technical and scientific assistance from staff of the ENEA PV Component & Systems Laboratory

TYPICAL SERVICES OR RESULTS

• Visual inspection
• Under illumination I-V test.
• Dark I-V test.
• Capacitive measurement vs  frequency.
• Capacitive measurement vs voltage.
• Insulation test.
• Wet leakage current test.
• Infrared thermal analysis test
• Optical transmittance characteristics analysis
• Thermal characteristics analysis
•  Salt chamber corrosion tess
• Humidity-freeze test.
• Performance at low irradiance
• U-V preconditioning test
• Electroluminescence test

LIST OF SERVICES AGAINST PAYMENT

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Participation to Research Projects:

Address

ENEA CR Portici | PV Smart lab | P.le E. Fermi località Granatello | 80055-Portici(NA) | Italy

Main contact

PELLEGRINO Michele