The British Standards Institution (BSI) has been an integral part of the UK’s solar PV journey by providing technical standards on a wide range of products and services and also supplies certification and standards-related services to businesses.
Specifically, the BSI Standards Committees GEL/82 for Photovoltaic Energy Systems are responsible for standardising photovoltaic systems for converting solar energy into electrical energy and for all the elements in the entire system. GEL/82 represents the UK’s input into European (EN) and International (IEC) standards.
The committee is chaired by KT Tan, chief technology officer at Viridian Solar. Solar Power Portal spoke with Tan to learn more about the organisation and some of the ongoing developments in the UK solar market.
‘Waves of innovation’
Perhaps one of the biggest changes in the UK’s solar PV industry and the world is the level of innovation occurring on such a regular basis. Tan believes the “waves of new innovation” have presented incremental improvements to the overall technological progression.
“Although the principle of how photovoltaics generates power has remained the same over the past decades, waves of new innovations have come into the sector, each making a small incremental improvement to the overall technological progression. Today, the latest development in cell technology is barely recognisable compared to just a decade ago,” Tan says.
“For example, polycrystalline technology has been squeezed out in favour of a more efficient bi-facial N-type technology, which is more efficient not only for performance but also for its power density and cost-effectiveness. With the advent of this technology, trackers are miraculously back in fashion.”
Alongside this, Tan believes there is a noticeable excitement in the air as the industry anticipates a breakthrough in the manufacturing of perovskite tandem cells. Tan explains that these new developments offer exciting opportunities, but they also introduce unforeseen challenges related to performance measurement, quality assurance, and reliability. This is where the BSI becomes integral to the wider adoption of these solar PV technologies.
In addition, Sebastiaan Van Dort, director of sustainability and energy at the BSI, says one of the organisation’s core focuses is creating more sustainable work through the standards introduced.
“We aim to support and guide industries toward greener practices and contribute to achieving a sustainable, net zero future,” Van Dort says. “One committee central to these goals is GEL/82, which is instrumental in establishing standards for the PV energy sector.”
It is worth noting that the BSI standards are often used by regulatory bodies to maintain the quality of products and installations.
“The standards-making bodies, employing a rigorous methodology, intend to ensure that the sector can enjoy all these new toys without having to take their toll. The unpleasant experience of Potential Induced Degradation (PID) in early Passivated Emitter Rear Cell (PERC) still left a bad taste in our mouths. Our job is to ensure that these risks are managed appropriately,” Tan explains.
“For example, the leading assurance scheme in the UK, Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), relies on product standards, e.g. IEC 61215, to validate the performance and quality of solar modules placed in the market.
“On the other hand, conformity schemes like CE or UKCA marks utilise test standards IEC 61730 to meet consumer protection safety requirements. Another influential standards, IEC 60364 together with IEC62548, are effectively the de facto blueprint for the UK wiring regs BS7671, which dictate practically all the installation requirements in the country.”
Rules of thumb do not apply to new-age technology
As Tan explains, BSI’s work often impacts the entirety of the UK’s solar PV industry by creating blueprints to lay the foundation for a booming market for the nation. However, this is not without difficulties either.
Due to the introduction of new technologies, many of these are innovative in that they are unlike any other existing techs on the market. As such, Tan believes that traditional and well-established rules of thumb often do not work in the same way when applied to solar PV.
“The examples given above demonstrate the influence of these standards on the PV industry. For a rapidly growing industry, relying on standardisation as a guiding light is more pertinent,” Tan says.
“Unfortunately, as new-age tech, we don’t have the luxury of relying on traditions or well-established rules of thumb. Hence, the development of these standards will shape the landscape of new products, installation practices, operations, and maintenance.”
But, with the UK solar PV industry moving from strength to strength, the question on many lips throughout the market is what to look for in the future. This is something Tan is keen to discuss, employing a light-hearted approach.
“Everything under the sun, pardon the pun, is practically covered by an existing or emerging standard,” Tan says. “Agrivoltaics, floating solar, prosumer codes, you name it. However, the elephant in the room is a standard—or lack of it—for universal DC connectors—and this has evaded the industry for far too long. An international project team has been set up to draft the requirements for universal DC connectors as a prerequisite to formulating a robust standard.
“DC connectors are a humble component that very seldom takes centre stage, they will definitely put you in the spotlight if things go wrong. So watch this space! In terms of emerging technologies, I think it is realistic to expect some form of super performance tandem cells, e.g., the highly anticipated perovskites tandem cells, to come into the market by the turn of the decade.”
Tan concludes: “The challenge is to understand the long-term reliability issues and design relevant tests accordingly. This is a hard nut to crack, but immensely rewarding if succeeded!”
The final point Tan presents to Solar Power Portal is one that can be echoed around all corners of the energy transition: much of the work being undertaken in the energy market hasn’t been done before and thus new, innovative and creative ways to overcome barriers will be critical. For this, collaboration will be key.
“The committee always welcomes expert input to the standard-making process. This could be innovative solutions to overcome the existing problems, or to tackle the issues from a completely different angle. If you find something is ineffective, illogical or counter-productive in the existing standards, then please provide constructive suggestions to the committee,” Tan says.
“The committee’s work in making standards appears to be happening in the background, but it has a profound impact on shaping every dimension of our daily experience in the industry.”
