By James Amano, Director, International Standards

The SEMI Standards PV Vibration Test Method Task Force was formed earlier this year in Taiwan to tackle vibration- and shock-related issues common in the production line, which negatively impact module quality. The Task Force’s first priority, a Test Method for Mechanical Vibration of Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic (PV) Modules in Shipping Environments, is now available for review and voting at www.semi.org/standardsballots.

“Vibrations and shocks are unavoidable during moving and transportation,” explains Dr. Jay Lin, the R&D Director from the module maker a2peak power. “From packing the module into the shipping box to loading it into the container with the forklift truck, vibrations and shocks are along the way. (They) might seem small and short, but the accumulated effects can cause permanent damages to the modules.” He also thinks that the manufacturers should take these problems seriously. The same opinion is shared by David Lee from King Design, a reliability-test equipment and service provider. “The value of PV modules lies not only in their efficiency but in their reliability. Apart from those in the production line, vibrations occurring in the operation environment also pose serious risks,” he says. “In the world of photovoltaics, the value equals efficiency multiplied by reliability.”

The Task Force is led by a team consisting of module and test equipment manufacturers and a PV test research center. Teng-Chun Wu, the head of the PV Test Laboratory at Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) stated, “We want to put together the needs of the industry, and encourage communication with the global industry to develop the standards together.”

“We hope that this standard would enable the industry to determine the influence of vibrations to the PV modules before they go into mass production, thereby providing useful information on the product design, the manufacturing process and system as well as the package design,” said Ariel Chiu from the Energy Project at AUO, who also emphasized that this standard could reduce the cost of product verification and maintenance significantly.

The PV Vibration Test Method Task Force welcomes feedback from the global PV industry. The deadline for submitting votes on this ballot is November 17, 2010. To register as a SEMI Standards Program Member, please visit www.semi.org/standardsmembership . Standards Program Membership is free of charge and open to all interested parties, and is a requirement to vote on ballots.

For more information on standards activities in Taiwan, please contact Ms. Melody Yang at myang@semi.org.

SEMI PV Group, The Grid - October 2010