QA | IEC Adopts Standards for Standalone Solar Energy Kits

English | Chinese
Later this year, the International Electrotechnical Commission, a leading international standards organization, will for the first time publish quality standards for standalone solar energy kits. This development opens the door to the widespread national adoption of these standards and will boost consumer protection efforts.
In January, IEC Technical Committee 82 voted unanimously to approve publication of Technical Specification 62257-9-8, which contains quality standards for pico-solar products and solar home system kits with PV modules rated up to 350 watts. These standards are an updated version of the Lighting Global Quality Standards, developed by the World Bank Group and used widely around the world. Together with the corresponding test methods (IEC/TS 62257-9-5), these quality standards form the foundation for quality in the off-grid solar sector.
Several national governments are already using mandatory quality standards to keep poor-quality pico-solar products out of the market. Others are expected to follow suit in the near future. Because IEC standards are readily accepted around the world, we anticipate that many national governments will choose to adopt the IEC test methods and quality standards. The QA team is providing technical assistance to a number of governments that have expressed interest in using standards to protect consumers.
An internationally harmonized policy approach for these products benefits stakeholders throughout the value chain. With harmonized standards, suppliers can design, manufacture, and test their new products once, and then sell those products into multiple markets. This enables companies to get innovative new products to market more quickly and at lower cost, with big benefits to consumers.
One of the essential services provided by the Quality Assurance (QA) program is evaluating standalone solar energy kits and maintaining a public listing of those products that meet the Lighting Global Quality Standards. The QA team will begin evaluating products against the newly adopted IEC quality standards later this year. Along with the transition to the IEC quality standards, the QA team will begin providing verification services under a new brand name, VeraSol, and products that meet the IEC quality standards will be VeraSol verified.
The quality assurance team maintains the products page on www.lightingglobal.org, the authoritative public listing of products that meet the Lighting Global Quality Standards. Private companies, governments, and other institutions have relied on this list for many years.
Later this year, all quality-verified products—whether evaluated against the Lighting Global Quality Standards or the new IEC quality standards—will be listed in one place, on VeraSol.org.
 
 
质量保证 | 国际电工委员会IEC 采纳独立太阳能套件产品质量标准
2020年2月18日
 
全球领先的国际标准组织国际电工协会（International Electrotechnical Commission，简称 IEC）将于今年晚些时候，首次发布独立太阳能套件产品的质量标准。这一进展将为各国广泛采纳该些质量标准打开大门，进一步保障消费者权益。
今年1月，IEC 82号技术委员会一致投票批准了技术规范62257-9-8的发布，该规范包含了微型太阳能产品及太阳能家用系统的质量标准，并适用于光伏组件的额定功率不高于350瓦的产品。该些标准是点亮全球质量标准的更新版本，经由世界银行集团制定而且在全世界广泛使用。配合对应的测试方法（IEC / TS 62257-9-5），这些质量标准构筑了离网太阳能行业质量的基础。
多个国家的政府已经在采用强制性的质量标准，将劣质的微型太阳能产品拒之其市场门外，其他地区和国家预计将在不久的将来效仿。得益于IEC标准在全球的高接受度，我们预计将有更多国家政府选择采纳IEC的测试方法和质量标准。质量保证（Quality Assurance, 简称QA) 团队目前也正在向多个表示希望使用质量标准保护消费者的政府提供技术支持。
国际一致的政策途径可以使整个行业价值链中的利益相关方都受益。在相同的标准基础上，供应商只要设计、制造并检测他们新产品一次，即可将这些产品同时销售到多个地区和国家的市场。这将帮助企业以更低的成本，更迅速地将创新产品打入市场，为消费者带来巨大利益。
点亮全球质量保证项目提供的基本服务之一是评估独立太阳能套件产品，并维持一个公开的名录列出符合《点亮全球质量标准》产品。质量保证团队将在今年晚些时候正式采用新发布的IEC 质量标准评估产品。除了开始使用IEC 标准进行检测，质量保证团队也将启用全新品牌 VeraSol 提供质量验证的相关服务。此后，符合IEC 质量标准验证的产品将视为 《VeraSol 验证》产品。
质量保证团队在 www.lightingglobal.org 网站上维护符合《点亮全球质量标准》产品的公开名录，这也是《点亮全球质量标准》验证产品最有公信力的名录。多年来，企业、政府以及其他机构均倚赖该名录寻找质量验证的产品。
今年晚些时候，无论是根据《点亮全球质量标准》还是新IEC 质量标准，所有经过质量验证的产品名录将统一在 VeraSol.org 网站上公布。