Materials and Components

Certification of materials, components and systems for the safe operation of solar PV installations

Polymeric materials

Polymeric materials are essential to the fabrication of PV modules and used in critical components such as substrates, encapsulants, back sheets and adhesives. Safety compliance with established standards minimizes risk of failure and ensures safe operation, covering such areas as flammability, resistance to ignition, thermal endurance and electrical properties. We can run separate investigations, as well, to evaluate the properties of critical module components.

GRL in partnership with UL offers streamlined testing and certification of PV materials to:

UL 94
UL 746A, B, C UL 1703,
UL 61730-2 and IEC 61730-2

Wiring and harnesses

PV modules operate at high temperatures and are exposed to a variety of environmental conditions. As a result, the insulation of module interconnection wiring may be required to be sunlight resistant and rated for wet locations at a temperature rating of 90ºC or above. GRL provides testing and certification to:

UL 854 for USE-2 wire
UL 4703 for PV wire which offers superior sunlight resistance
UL 9703 wiring system and harnesses

Solar connectors and junction boxes
Critical components of a PV module must be individually assessed to determine safety and performance compliance. Noncompliance may delay product certification, increasing time-to-market as well as costs for design changes – and results in additional testing.

GRL evaluates and certifies components to national and international standards:

UL 3730 and IEC 62790 for junction boxes
UL 6703 and UL 6703A for PV connectors

To assist manufacturers, GRL also offers the UL Component Recognition program, which allows quicker and easier sourcing of known components as well as enhanced supply chain management.