EN 62817:2015/A1:2017

Photovoltaic systems - Design qualification of solar trackers

IEC 62817:2014 is a design qualification standard applicable to solar trackers for photovoltaic systems, but may be used for trackers in other solar applications. The standard defines test procedures for both key components and for the complete tracker system. In some cases, test procedures describe methods to measure and/or calculate parameters to be reported in the defined tracker specification sheet. In other cases, the test procedure results in a pass/fail criterion. This standard ensures the user of the said tracker that parameters reported in the specification sheet were measured by consistent and accepted industry procedures. The tests with pass/fail criteria are engineered with the purpose of separating tracker designs that are likely to have early failures from those designs that are sound and suitable for use as specified by the manufacturer.

Photovoltaische Systeme - Bauarteignung für Sonnen-Nachführeinrichtungen

Systèmes photovoltaïques - Qualification de conception des suiveurs solaires

L'IEC 62817:2014 est une norme de qualification de conception applicable aux suiveurs solaires pour systèmes photovoltaïques, mais peut servir aux suiveurs dans d'autres applications solaires. La norme définit les procédures d'essai destinées aussi bien aux composants clés qu'au système suiveur complet. Dans certains cas, les procédures d'essai décrivent des procédés servant à mesurer et/ou calculer des paramètres à rapporter dans la feuille de spécification définie pour le suiveur. Dans d'autres cas, le mode opératoire d'essai se conclut par des critères d'acceptation et de refus. Cette norme donne à l'utilisateur dudit suiveur la garantie que les paramètres rapportés dans la feuille de spécification ont été mesurés par des procédures industrielles cohérentes et acceptées. Les essais basés sur des critères d'acceptation et de rejet ont pour objet de distinguer les conceptions de suiveur susceptibles de présenter des défaillances prématurément de celles présentant la robustesse nécessaire et correspondant à l'usage spécifié par le fabricant.

Sledilniki sonca za fotonapetostne sisteme - Ocena zasnove - Dopolnilo A1

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 23-Nov-2017
• Withdrawal Date: 31-Aug-2020
• ICS: 27.160 - Solar energy engineering
• Technical Committee: CLC/TC 82 - Solar photovoltaic energy systems
• Drafting Committee: IEC/TC 82 - IEC_TC_82
• Current Stage: 6060 - Document made available - Publishing
• Start Date: 24-Nov-2017
• Completion Date: 24-Nov-2017
• Ref Project: SIST EN 62817:2015/A1:2018 - Photovoltaic systems - Design qualification of solar trackers

Relations

• Amends: EN 62817:2015 - Photovoltaic systems - Design qualification of solar trackers
• Effective Date: 23-Jan-2023

Overview

EN 62817:2015/A1:2017 (CLC adoption of IEC 62817:2014/A1:2017) is a European design‑qualification standard for solar trackers used in photovoltaic systems. It defines consistent, industry‑accepted test procedures for key components and for the complete tracker system. The standard clarifies when tests produce measurable specification‑sheet parameters and when tests apply pass/fail criteria to separate robust tracker designs from those likely to fail early in service.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope and purpose
  • Applies primarily to solar trackers for PV systems but can be used for other solar applications.
  • Ensures reported specification‑sheet parameters are measured using consistent procedures.
• Test procedures
  • Component‑level and full‑system tests with clearly defined measurement or pass/fail outcomes.
  • Tests are engineered to identify early‑failure risks and verify design suitability.
• Pointing error sensor calibration (added in A1)
  • Recommended at least annual outdoor calibration procedure.
  • Requirements include: alignment device (often a tracker), data acquisition with timestamps accurate to ±2 s, sampling ≤10 s, and clear-sky/DNI stability conditions.
  • Uses Solpos or SPA sun‑position algorithms to merge sun position with sensor outputs and derive calibration coefficients; linear fit slope = calibration factor.
• Mechanical and structural tests
  • Torsional stiffness, mechanical drift, drive torque and backlash testing procedures updated.
  • Stow moment coefficient for wind loading now referenced at 3° from horizontal (replacing an earlier 10°) for wind tunnel or field data.
• Environmental testing
  • Temperature cycling: minimum 40 cycles / 480 h; default range –20 °C to 55 °C (expand if tracker spec sheet lists wider operational range); dwell 5–15 min at ±3 °C of extremes.
  • Dust testing: recommended inclusion for the first 240 h using A4 dust per ISO 1203-1, with documentation (video/photos) of dust presence. Alternate sequencing options documented for facilities unable to combine tests.

Applications and users

This standard is used by:

• Solar‑tracker manufacturers for design validation and specification generation.
• Accredited test laboratories performing design‑qualification and type‑testing.
• PV project designers, EPC contractors and asset owners evaluating tracker reliability and procurement specifications.
• Certification bodies and regulators assessing compliance and lifecycle risk.
• R&D and quality teams for product development, failure analysis and continuous improvement.

Related standards

• IEC 62817:2014 (base international standard adopted by EN 62817)
• ISO 1203-1 (referenced for A4 dust specification in environmental testing)

EN 62817:2015/A1:2017 is essential for anyone specifying, testing or certifying solar trackers, providing standardized methods for measuring performance, durability and environmental resilience. Keywords: EN 62817:2015/A1:2017, solar trackers, photovoltaic systems, design qualification, pointing error calibration, temperature cycle, dust testing, stow moment coefficient.

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-januar-2018
Sledilniki sonca za fotonapetostne sisteme - Ocena zasnove - Dopolnilo A1
Photovoltaic systems - Design qualification of solar trackers
Sonnen-Nachführeinrichtungen für photovoltaische Systeme - Bauarteignung
Systèmes photovoltaïques - Qualification de conception des suiveurs solaires
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 62817:2015/A1:2017
ICS:
27.160 6RQþQDHQHUJLMD Solar energy engineering
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD EN 62817:2015/A1

NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
November 2017
ICS 27.160
English Version
Photovoltaic systems - Design qualification of solar trackers
(IEC 62817:2014/A1:2017)
Systèmes photovoltaïques - Qualification de conception des Sonnen-Nachführeinrichtungen für photovoltaische
suiveurs solaires Systeme - Bauarteignung
(IEC 62817:2014/A1:2017) (IEC 62817:2014/A1:2017)
This amendment A1 modifies the European Standard EN 62817:2015; it was approved by CENELEC on 2017-09-01. CENELEC members
are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this amendment the status of a
national standard without any alteration.
Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre or to any CENELEC member.
This amendment exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation under the
responsibility of a CENELEC member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the same status as
the official versions.
CENELEC members are the national electrotechnical committees of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique
Europäisches Komitee für Elektrotechnische Normung
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Avenue Marnix 17, B-1000 Brussels
© 2017 CENELEC All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CENELEC Members.
Ref. No. EN 62817:2015/A1:2017 E

European foreword
The text of document 82/1018/CDV, future edition 1 of IEC 62817:2014/A1:2017, prepared by
IEC/TC 82 "Solar photovoltaic energy systems" was submitted to the IEC-CENELEC parallel vote and
approved by CENELEC as EN 62817:2015/A1:2017.

The following dates are fixed:

• latest date by which this document has (dop) 2018-06-01
to be implemented at national level by
publication of an identical national
standard or by endorsement
• latest date by which the national (dow) 2020-09-01
standards conflicting with this
document have to be withdrawn
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CENELEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

Endorsement notice
The text of the International Standard IEC 62817:2014/A1:2017 was approved by CENELEC as a
European Standard without any modification.
IEC 62817 ®
Edition 1.0 2017-07
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
A MENDMENT 1
AM ENDEMENT 1
Photovoltaic systems – Design qualification of solar trackers

Systèmes photovoltaïques – Qualification de conception des suiveurs solaires

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
INTERNATIONALE
ICS 27.160 ISBN 978-2-8322-4475-3

– 2 – IEC 62817:2014/AMD1:2017
© IEC 2017
FOREWORD
This amendment has been prepared by IEC technical committee 82: Solar photovoltaic energy
systems.
The text of this amendment is based on the following documents:
CDV Report on voting
82/1018/CDV 82/1097/RVC
Full information on the voting for the approval of this amendment can be found in the report
on voting indicated in the above table.
The committee has decided that the contents of this amendment and the base publication will
remain unchanged until the stability date indicated on the IEC website under
"http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data related to the specific publication. At this date, the
publication will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
_____________
7.3.3 Calibration of pointing error measurement tool
Add the following to 7.3.3
A procedure for calibration of pointing error measurement tool does not exist in this or any
other IEC document. It is recommended that the pointing error measurement tool be
calibrated at least once per year per the following:
Outdoor tracker pointing error sensor calibration procedure:
Apparatus and measurement requirements: Device for mounting and orienting the pointing
error sensor (typically a solar tracker but other devices suffice), data acquisition system
capable of measuring outputs of the pointing error sensor, recording the timestamp that is
accurate to the true time within 2 s, visual verification of no clouds impinging the view of the
sun during the entire measurement period (including thin cirrus clouds) or verification during
the entire measurement period that the DNI varies no more than 2 % from maximum to
minimum values recorded.
a) Determine the measurement range for which the calibration is desired. The maximum
measurement range is the field of view of the sensor under calibration but a smaller
measurement range can be used as applicable to the calibration.
b) Assume that ±1° is the measurement range for the calibration. Mount the sensor on the
alignment device and adjust the position of the device so that the sensor is pointing
approximately 1° (or other determined measurement range) ahead of the sun’s movement
path in both axes of orientation. If the alignment device is a solar tracker, this means
aligning the sensor with the solar tracker’s mounting plane and then moving the solar

IEC 62817:2014/AMD1:2017 – 3 –
© IEC 2017
tracker 1° ahead of the sun’s position (in both axes
...