1、Designation: E 1799 08Standard Practice forVisual Inspections of Photovoltaic Modules1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 1799; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number i
2、n parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1. Scope1.1 This practice covers procedures and criteria for visualinspections of photovoltaic modules.1.2 Visual inspections of photovoltaic modules are
3、normallyperformed before and after modules have been subjected toenvironmental, electrical, or mechanical stress testing, such asthermal cycling, humidity-freeze cycling, damp heat exposure,ultraviolet exposure, mechanical loading, hail impact testing,outdoor exposure, or other stress testing that m
4、ay be part ofphotovoltaic module testing sequence.1.3 This practice does not establish pass or fail levels. Thedetermination of acceptable or unacceptable results is beyondthe scope of this practice.1.4 There is no similar or equivalent ISO standard.1.5 This standard does not purport to address all
5、of thesafety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2. Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E 772 Terminology Rela
6、ting to Solar Energy ConversionE 1328 Terminology Relating to Photovoltaic Solar EnergyConversion3. Terminology3.1 Definitions Definitions of terms used in this practicemay be found in Terminology E 772 and Terminology E 1328.4. Significance and Use4.1 Environmental stress tests, such as those liste
7、d in 1.2,are normally used to evaluate module designs prior to produc-tion or purchase. These test methods rely on performingelectrical tests and visual inspections of modules before andafter stress testing to determine the effects of the exposures.4.2 Effects of environmental stress testing may var
8、y from noeffects to significant changes. Some physical changes in themodule may be visible when there are no measurable electricalchanges. Similarly, electrical changes in the module may occurwith no visible changes.4.3 It is the intent of this practice to provide a recognizedprocedure for performin
9、g visual inspections and to specifyeffects that should be reported.4.4 Many of these effects are subjective. In order to deter-mine if a module has passed a visual inspection, the user of thispractice must specify what changes or conditions are accept-able. The user may have to judge whether changes
10、 noted duringan inspection will limit the useful life of a module design.5. Procedure5.1 Pre-Test InspectionInspections performed prior to anyenvironmental stress tests must document the module conditionso that any changes that occur during testing can be identifiedduring the post-test inspection.5.
11、1.1 Visually inspect each module to determine the pres-ence or absence of anomalies or defects. Optical magnificationis not required. Such anomalies or defects should include, butare not limited to:5.1.1.1 Shipping damage,5.1.1.2 Poor workmanship,5.1.1.3 Defects in mounting brackets or structures,5.
12、1.1.4 Cracking, shrinkage, distortion, or tacky surfaces ofpolymeric materials,5.1.1.5 Failure of adhesive bonding,5.1.1.6 Bubbles or delamination of encapsulant materials,5.1.1.7 Presence of foreign material,5.1.1.8 Corrosion of fasteners, mechanical members, orelectrical circuit elements,5.1.1.9 V
13、oids in or corrosion of any thin-film photovoltaiclayers,5.1.1.10 Discoloration of superstrate encapsulating materi-als,5.1.1.11 Discoloration of active photovoltaic elements,5.1.1.12 Broken, cracked, etched, scratched, wrinkled, ortorn external surfaces,5.1.1.13 Broken or cracked active photovoltai
14、c elements,1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E44 on Solar,Geothermal and Other Alternative Energy Sources and is the direct responsibility ofSubcommittee E44.09 on Photovoltaic Electric Power Conversion.Current edition approved April 1, 2008. Published May 2008. Originallyap
15、proved in 1996. Last previous edition approved in 2002 as E 1799-02.2For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org. For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information, refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM w
16、ebsite.1Copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.5.1.1.14 Broken, cracked, or faulty electrical interconnec-tions,5.1.1.15 Cracked or damaged structural elements,5.1.1.16 A photovoltaic cell touching another cell or themodule f
17、rame,5.1.1.17 Electrical terminals not bonded to the module orthe module junction box,5.1.1.18 Missing, peeling, or damaged metal layers on cellsurfaces, and5.1.1.19 Any additional anomalies or defects specified bythe user of this practice that are evident.5.1.2 Record the results of the visual insp
18、ection so that anychanges that occur during subsequent testing can be identified.These records may be any combination of descriptions, dia-grams, or images of any anomalies or defects noticed duringthe inspection. The location of any anomalies or defects mustbe unambiguously documented.5.2 Post-Test
19、 Inspection:5.2.1 Repeat 5.1.1, using identical lighting or examinationconditions.5.2.2 Repeat 5.1.2. It is not necessary to record anomalies ordefects that were previously documented in the pre-test inspec-tion unless the anomalies or defects have visibly changedduring the subsequent testing.5.3 Co
20、mparison:5.3.1 Compare the results of the pre- and post-test inspec-tions to determine the visible effects of the environmentalstress testing on the test samples.6. Report6.1 The report shall include the following items as aminimum:6.1.1 Any anomalies or defects, in addition to the criteria of5.1.1,
21、 that the inspections were required to document (see5.1.1.19),6.1.2 Results of both visual inspections as recorded in 5.1and 5.2, and6.1.3 Determination of the visible effects of the environ-mental stress testing from 5.3.7. Keywords7.1 energy; inspections; modules; photovoltaics; solar; test-ing; v
22、isualASTM International takes no position respecting the validity of any patent rights asserted in connection with any item mentionedin this standard. Users of this standard are expressly advised that determination of the validity of any such patent rights, and the riskof infringement of such rights
23、, are entirely their own responsibility.This standard is subject to revision at any time by the responsible technical committee and must be reviewed every five years andif not revised, either reapproved or withdrawn. Your comments are invited either for revision of this standard or for additional st
24、andardsand should be addressed to ASTM International Headquarters. Your comments will receive careful consideration at a meeting of theresponsible technical committee, which you may attend. If you feel that your comments have not received a fair hearing you shouldmake your views known to the ASTM Co
25、mmittee on Standards, at the address shown below.This standard is copyrighted by ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959,United States. Individual reprints (single or multiple copies) of this standard may be obtained by contacting ASTM at the aboveaddress or at 610-832-9585 (phone), 610-832-9555 (fax), or serviceastm.org (e-mail); or through the ASTM website(www.astm.org).E1799082
