Intertek strengthens partnership with Photovoltaic Institute Berlin

08 June 2011 – Intertek, a provider of quality and safety solutions serving a range of industries worldwide, today announced a new partnership with Photovoltaic Institute Berlin (PI Berlin), an European player in the Renewable Energies market segment. Photovoltaic Institute Berlin will partner with Intertek to provide non-European PV modules with smooth market access to Europe through Intertek’s CB certificate and PI Berlin’s bankability test.

Companies that wish to sell PV modules in Europe need to have those products declared as conforming to relevant standards. In addition, companies that wish to achieve subsidies from banks and governments need to establish their ‘bankability’. The joint-service will enable offshore companies to gain local-market certification and bankability assessment together. It will make their entry into the European market smoother and more efficient and at the same time commence the subsidies process without compromising the test lead time. PI Berlin provides bankability assessments for European and non-European renewable product companies, which assessments are recognized and utilized by banks and subsidizing organizations across Europe. This covers the most important facts for the bankability of non-European PV modules – means fundamental technical milestones for a safe and fast market entry of the PV components to the European markets, e.g. sustainability, over-all quality, stability and efficiency of modules and components.

Intertek offers fast, expert testing and certification for AC Modules, Photovoltaic (PV) Modules, Charge Controllers, PV Power Units, Inverters, Converters, Accessories and Components around the world. And its state-of-the-art Photovoltaic (PV) testing and certification centers in Asia and the Americas enable module manufacturers to meet growing demand, get products to market faster, and provide critical performance data to support competitive differentiation. Intertek is accredited by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as a Nationally Recognized Laboratory (NRTL).

PI Berlin is an official IEC/ISO 17025 testing laboratory for the PV industry and is accredited as CBTL for IEC/EN/ISO 61215, 61646, 61730 and all related standards as well as for CEC regulations and UL1703.

“To enhance the existing strategic partnership and good relation with PI Berlin, we suppose to utilize Intertek’s PV module CB test labs in PV modules manufacturing site, e.g. China, the U.S. etc and PI Berlin’s trusted expertise to facilitate good quality PV modules to be installed in Germany and Europe,” said Joachim Ihrke, Director Commercial & Electrical Germany, France and Italy at Intertek.

Intertek and its partners will be present at Intersolar, the world's largest solar technology trade fair, held in Munich (Germany), June 8-10, 2011.