Intertek (LSE: ITRK), a leading provider of quality and safety solutions said that ongoing development in solar power technologies will fast-track the demand for global industry standards as the company prepares to attend and provide expert commentary at the APEC Solar Technology and Conformance Initiative meetings held in San Francisco, California, from September 15 – 16, 2011.
The APEC Solar Technology and Conformance Initiative brings together public and private sector representatives from across the APEC region and North America to discuss ways of improving trade for solar power technology through standards development and conformity assessment services. Through this initiative, discussions will be held to determine the best ways to help eliminate trade barriers which may slow production, impact product quality or increase costs along the solar product supply chain. Intertek has supported manufacturers, owners and operators in the solar industry with a broad range of services, including safety certification, performance, reliability, and bankability testing.
Intertek has an established presence in North America, Europe and Asia and is committed to finding solutions to facilitate trade by working closely with companies located in the APEC member economies who manufacture or support solar product intended for export around the world. During the APEC Solar Technology Standards Conformance Initiative, Intertek’s Dr. Paul Robusto, Business Development Manager, Solar Energy Products, will contribute to the discussion with a presentation during a panel on “Facilitating Solar Technology Deployment through Conformity Assessment”. Dr. Robusto will address standard development including the new IEC and UL standards impacting Flat Panel and Concentrated Photovoltaic Module testing and certification.
Intertek also will be a key contributor to the next APEC Solar Technology Standards Conformance Initiative which will be held in Taipei, Taiwan on October 12-13, 2011. This Initiative will focus on photovoltaic performance and reliability testing. “It is important that we work with manufacturers across APEC member economies to provide access to the latest requirements in PV performance and reliability testing in order to meet the growing demands of investors in the solar market” said Sunny Rai, Vice President, Renewables, Intertek. Mr. Rai will speak during the conference in Taiwan on the topic of “Global PV Material and Reliability Standards and Programs” where he will address the latest reliability, durability and bankability testing requirements to support long field product life times of 25 years.
Intertek’s expertise in the renewable sector, including solar, wind and energy storage technology will assist local manufacturers navigate the global solar market requirements. As an IECEE Certification Body Testing Laboratory (CBTL), Intertek’s IEC issued test reports can be used to obtain certification marks for up to 54 countries including Japan, China, United Kingdom, Australia, and most European countries.