IEA-SHC Programme Task 43: Research on Solar Collector and System Testing and Certification
Abstract
Europe, North America, Australia and many individual countries have certification and testing procedures for solar thermal equipment designed to protect consumers from poor performance and unsafe designs. Most certification bodies rely on outside tests, which have much in common from country to country but may not be exactly identical. Most certification bodies only recognize tests from laboratories they certify and that follow their technical specifications although most testing is based on the same ISO standards worldwide. Testing has not kept up with all the new technologies and system applications, creating a barrier to market innovation because access to incentives and markets for new products is often tied to certification. Governments rely on certification to ensure incentives are given to effective products, and testing laboratories and certification bodies are struggling to keep up with demand. The IEA-SHC Programme (IEA-SHC) Task 43 is organizing research into testing procedures for SHC collectors and systems, roundrobin testing and sharing of research results among testing laboratories. The results of this work is offered to certification bodies in Australia, Europe, and North America to promote harmonization of testing standards, cooperation in certifying SHC products and wider acceptance of lab test results between countries.