IEC gives SolFocus CPV panels a stamp of approval

Getting the International Electrotechnical Commission's approval for its concentrated photovoltaic panels was no slam dunk for Mountain View, Calif.-based SolFocus.

Vice President of Marketing Nancy Hartsoch told the Cleantech Group that today's announcement marks the first CPV product to meet the tough performance and safety standards of the Geneva-based IEC, which sets requirements for electrical and electronic technologies.

“The real goal is to make sure products that go to market are reliable, safe and are going to last in the field,” she said.

The approval is expected to help the company with details such as warranty reserves and projecting the lifetime of the panels in the field. It also ensures the company has “commercially deployable technology,” she said.  

Hartsoch said SolFocus’ SF-1000P panels were put through heat and humidity evaluations, six months of outdoor exposure testing and “accelerated life testing." SolFocus’ second generation panel, SF-1100, is now going through the IEC certification process, which is expected to be completed in the next few months.

“Basically, we’re putting panels in worse than normal conditions to prove they can function,” she said.

SolFocus also learned this month that its second generation panels have been approved by the California Energy Commission to be placed on a solar electric equipment list. The list assures customers that the solar equipment has gone through safety testing and meets CEC requirements.

SolFocus is still the only CPV system manufacturer to achieve the CEC listing, which is required for California customers to receive rebates for energy produced by solar systems. Its first-generation panels received CEC approval in 2008 (see SolFocus gets California regulatory nod).

The company’s CPV design uses mirrors and lenses to concentrate sunlight 650 times onto small, efficient solar cells. SolFocus said its systems use about 1/1,000th of the active, solar cell material used in traditional photovoltaic panels, which helps reduce the overall cost for the system. Its products are built using readily available materials including aluminum and glass.

SolFocus met all the requirements of the new IEC standard, which specifies design qualifications and the type of CPV modules and assemblies suitable for long-term operation in open-air climates. The electrical, mechanical and thermal characteristics of SolFocus’ CPV system were also proven to be safe and capable of withstanding prolonged exposure in varied environments.

The approval serves as “validation” to customers, developers and investors including third-party financers that SolFocus’ technology is safe to invest in and reliable, Hartsoch said. She added that it was surprising how many difficulties came up in the IEC testing; some of the assessments had to be repeated with the IEC, even though SolFocus also performed the tests internally.

Hartsoch said almost all CPV companies are or may soon be seeking this IEC certification.

“Once people start having certification, not having it would be a problem,” she said.

She said likely CPV companies to follow in SolFocus’ footsteps include Germany’s Concentrix Solar, Albuquerque, N.M.-based Emcore (Nasdaq: EMKR) and Taiwan’s Arima EcoEnergy Technologies.

Hartsoch said the IEC standard CPV companies have to adhere to is different from that of traditional or flat plate PV. The new IEC standard was created under the direction of a steering committee, which includes SolFocus Engineering Manager Sam Cowley.

SolFocus partnered with certification specialist Six 9’s Reliable and Arizona’s Photovoltaic Testing Laboratory to achieve the certification. Hartsoch would not disclose the cost of the testing. The cost of the negotiated contract with the lab can vary depending on how many times a company’s technology has to be re-evaluated.

Going forward, the company's emphasis is to complete a manufacturing facility in China. SolFocus also recently expanded its glass facility in Arizona.

“Our focus is on building thousands of [systems] and making them cheap,” she said. “You can’t be doing that at the same time you are modifying and changing projects."

SolFocus also has a manufacturing and distribution agreement with New Delhi’s Moser Baer India (BSE: MOSERBAER) to supply its CPV panels in India and neighboring countries. Moser Baer has also received an IEC approval for its 40 megawatt thin-film line (see Moser Baer India to start PV production).

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