TÜV Rheinland Commissions New Power Inverter Testing Laboratory

TÜV Rheinland has completed the construction of its new testing laboratory designed to inspect and certify small- to mid-sized power inverter devices. Inverters—devices that change direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC)—are used extensively within photovoltaic solar, wind, fuel cell and other renewable energy systems. The applicable international standards of product safety and grid connections to which the new facility will test include UL 1741; CSA C22.2 No. 107.1; IEEE 1547; IEEE 1547.1; IEC 62109-1 & -2; EN 50438; VDE 4105; AS 4777-2 &-3; BDEW; JET and others.

The new Pleasanton operation is the latest addition to TUV Rheinland’s worldwide network of inverter testing facilities, joining laboratories in Germany, Italy Hungary, Shanghai, Taiwan and Japan, and the company is prepared to open an additional facility on the eastern coast of the United States to accommodate the expected increase in testing and certification demand.  “Power generation from renewable resources is only going to increase moving forward” continued Zhu. “North American manufacturers are going to need not just more testing and certification for regulatory access to global markets, they will also need pre-testing during their product design verifications and other services aimed at improving the bankability and end-user confidence in their products’ performance.”

The new laboratory is directly connected to TUV Rheinland’s existing environmental and five-meter anechoic chambers, which will allow for multiple testing procedures, such as EMC and extreme temperature cycling, to be performed seamlessly and quickly. In addition, the facility’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee and smart grid-relevant services can be utilized to help incorporate inverters into sophisticated networks.

For more information, visit www.tuv.com.