UL 1703 temperature chamber for testing of photovoltaic panels

The quality and reliability of photovoltaic panels are critical to the development of the solar industry. As the demand for renewable energy continues to grow, ensuring the performance of photovoltaic panels in a variety of environmental conditions becomes particularly important. The UL 1703 standard is a special environmental test specification for photovoltaic panels, designed to ensure the safety and durability of products, UL 1703 is a standard developed by the United States Underwriters Laboratories, mainly used to evaluate the safety and performance of photovoltaic panels. The standard covers the testing of photovoltaic modules under different environmental conditions, including thermal cycling, wet heat, mechanical loads, and ultraviolet radiation.

UL 1703 Range of flat panel modules

Using the same test procedures as electrical performance measurements, polymer material systems used as enclosures for components that may present a fire risk must meet specific requirements. These requirements include flammability, UV exposure, water exposure, immersion, and hot wire ignition.
Ul 1703 Compliance testing standard does not cover:

• Devices for accepting electrical output from arrays, such as power conditioning devices and batteries.
• Any tracing mechanism.
• Battery components designed to concentrate on operating in sunlight.
• Optical condenser.
• Combination of photovoltaic thermal modules or panels.

The PV module compliance test contains the key words necessary to understand the standard：
Module (flat panel) - the smallest environmentally friendly component of the solar cell and auxiliary components. Examples include interconnectors and terminals for generating direct current in non-concentrated sunlight.
Panels (flat panels) - a group of modules that are mechanically held together and connected together, designed to provide a field mountable unit.
Rated operating voltage - The maximum power that a module or panel can provide under standard test conditions.

UL 1703 Photovoltaic temperature chamber for testing procedure

Humidity testing

For humidity testing, the module or panel goes through 10 humidity freezing cycles. This test cannot cause:

• Circuit continuity loss
• can reach parts where there is a risk of electric shock
• Reduce the resistance between components involved in the risk of electric shock
• Metal parts are corroded
• Reduce wall thickness of non-metal wiring components

Select three samples and place them in the test chamber. Similar to temperature shock testing, devices must be installed to ensure circulation of the surrounding air. Module or panel samples should be arranged to avoid condensation dripping onto the sample. Each loop must include the following.

• The temperature in the test chamber is changed from 25°C to 85°C
• Stay at 85 C for 20 hours
• The transition from 85°C to -40°C
• Stay at -40 C for at least 30 minutes
• The transition from -40 C to 25 C.

Each cycle is to consist of:

1. A transition in the test chamber temperature from 25°C ±2°C to 85°C ±2°C (77°F to 185°F);
2. A dwell at 85°C ±2°C for 20 h minimum;
3. A transition from 85°C ±2°℃ to minus 40°C ±2°C (minus 40°F);
4. A dwell at minus 40°C ±2°C for 30 minutes minimum; and
5. Transition from -40 °C to 25°C. When the temperature is 5°C(41°F) or higher, the temperature of the test chamber changes no more than 120°C/h(216°F/h) with respect to time. When the temperature is less than 5 ° C, the temperature transition of the test chamber relative to time is not greater than 200 ° C /h(360°F/h). The total time that the conversion and -40 °C stay together does not exceed 4 hours. If a temperature of 25°C is the beginning or end of 10 cycles, any nominal room temperature in the range of 15°C to 30°C(59°F to 86°F) can be used. The total cycle time does not exceed 24 hours, as shown in Figure 1. All temperatures measured on the module surface are within ±2°C.

Thermal shock test

In the thermal shock test, the module or panel is subjected to 200 temperature cycles. When the device experiences thermal shock, the test should not cause.

• Circuit discontinuity
• Can reach parts where there is a risk of electric shock
• Reduce the resistance between components involved in the risk of electric shock
• The wall thickness of the non-metal wiring compartment is reduced below the required value
• The clearance of the existing opening between the non-metal wiring compartment wall and the cover is greater than 1/16 inch, or 1/16 inch or more

The three components or panel samples are placed in an air circulation chamber where the temperature and humidity can be adjusted as needed. In addition, humidity is adjusted only when necessary to prevent moisture buildup on the sample surface.
The sample is mounted or supported in the chamber to ensure free circulation of surrounding air. The thermal conductivity of the installation or support device should be low to achieve thermal isolation of the sample.
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