SHOULD INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS FOR SOLAR HOME SYSTEMS BE TESTABLE WITHOUT STANDARDS LABORATORY FACILITIES?

摘要

International Standards are produced by international committees for testing in well-equipped Standards Laboratories. Standards for Solar home Systems also have outdoor testing options. This study aimed to assess whether the tests of IEC Draft Standard 62124 could be performed outdoors by small manufacturers producing SHS in their own countries. The trials were carried out using a variety of components attached to a 70Wp panel at Reading University. The results suggest that the tests were over-reliant on the measurement of charge, which is difficult to do sufficiently precisely with the recommended equipment. The wording of the tests is insufficiently clear, and restrictions included in the standard would also make it difficult for developing world manufacturers to carry out the tests outdoors. It is suggested that the indoor and outdoor versions of the tests are neither equivalent nor reliably repeatable.