1 Scope

This document sets forth a uniform approach to maintain type approval, design and safety qualification of terrestrial PV modules that have undergone, or will undergo modification from their originally assessed design.

Changes in material selection, components and manufacturing process can impact electrical performance, reliability and safety of the modified product. This document lists typical modifications and the resulting requirements for retesting based on the different test standards. It provides assistance; at some level engineering judgement may be needed.

The test sequences are selected to identify adverse changes to the modified product.

Those products successfully following the herein defined test sequences are considered to be compliant with the standard against which they have originally been assessed in a full qualification.

The number of samples to be included in the retesting program and the pass/fail criteria are listed in the referenced standards IEC 61215 and IEC 61730.

Tests required by changes from previous to new standard editions of IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 are not covered by this document and are evaluated separately.

Summary of Topics

First Edition of the UL IEC-Based Technical Specification for Photovoltaic (PV) Modules – Type Approval, Design and Safety Qualification – Retesting, UL 62915. UL 62915 is an adoption of IEC 62915 (First Edition, issued May 2018). Please note that the National Difference document incorporates all of the U.S. national differences for UL 62915.