scope:

This Technical Specification is applicable to sites manufacturing photovoltaic (PV) modules certified to IEC 61215 or IEC 61646 for design qualification and type approval. The design qualification and type approval of PV modules depend on appropriate methods for product and process design, as well as appropriate control of materials and processes used to manufacture the product. This technical specification lays out best practices for product design, manufacturing processes, and selection and control of materials used in the manufacture of PV modules that have met the requirements of IEC 61215, IEC 61646, or IEC 62108. These guidelines also form the basis for factory audit criteria of such sites by various certifying and auditory bodies.

The object of this technical specification is to provide more confidence in the ongoing consistency of performance and reliability of certified PV modules. The requirements of this technical specification are defined with the assumption that the quality management system of the organization has already fulfilled the requirements of ISO 9001 or equivalent quality management system. By maintaining a manufacturing system in accordance with this guideline, PV modules are expected to maintain their performance as determined from the test sequences in IEC 61215, IEC 61646, or IEC 62108.

This technical specification is applicable to all PV modules independent of design and technology i.e. flat panel, concentrator photovoltaic (CPV). Quality controls for CPV and nonconventional flat-plate manufacturing will differ somewhat from those of more conventional designs; this technical specification has not considered these differences.