EN IEC 62892:2019

Extended thermal cycling of PV modules - Test procedure

This document defines a test sequence that extends the thermal cycling test of IEC 61215-2. It is intended to differentiate PV modules with improved durability to thermal cycling and evaluate modules for deployment in locations most susceptible to thermal cycling type stress1. This document is based on the ability for 95 % of the modules represented by the samples submitted for this test to pass an equivalency of 500 thermal cycles, as defined in IEC 61215-2:2016, 4.11.3, with a maximum power degradation of less than 5 %. Provisions are also provided to reduce overall test time by increasing the maximum cycle temperature and/or the number of modules submitted for test. The test procedure in this document was developed based on analysis of the stress on tin-lead solder bonds on crystalline silicon solar cells in a glass superstrate type package. Changes to lead-free solder have an effect on the acceleration factors but not enough to change the overall results of this test. Monolithic type modules with integral cell interconnection do not suffer from this specific type of stress but there are still electrical connections within the module, for example between the integrated cell circuit and the module bus bars, that may be subject to wear out from thermal cycling. Flexible modules (without glass) are not stressed in the same way as those with glass superstrates or substrates, therefore use of the equivalency factor employed in this document may not be applicable to these modules.

Erweiterte Temperaturwechselprüfung von PV-Modulen

Cycle thermique étendu de modules PV - Procédure d'essai

l'IEC 62892:2019 définit une séquence d'essais qui étend l'essai de cycle thermique de l'IEC 61215-2. Il est destiné à différencier les modules photovoltaïques avec une meilleure durabilité par rapport au cycle thermique et à évaluer les modules pour un déploiement dans les lieux plus exposés aux contraintes de cycle thermique. Le présent document repose sur l'aptitude pour 95 % des modules représentés par les échantillons soumis à cet essai à supporter avec succès l'équivalent de 500 cycles thermiques, conformément à la procédure définie dans l'IEC 61215-2:2016, 4.11.3, avec une dégradation maximale de puissance inférieure à 5 %. Des dispositions sont également fournies pour réduire la durée totale des essais en augmentant la température maximale du cycle et/ou le nombre de modules soumis à l'essai. La procédure d'essai décrite dans le présent document a été élaborée sur la base d'une analyse des contraintes exercées sur des assemblages soudés en alliage plomb-étain sur des cellules solaires en silicium cristallin au sein d'un ensemble de type superstrat de verre. Des modifications apportées à une soudure sans plomb ont un effet sur les facteurs d'accélération, mais pas de manière suffisante pour modifier les résultats globaux de cet essai. Les modules de type monolithique avec interconnexion intégrale des cellules ne souffrent pas de ce type de contrainte spécifique, mais il persiste des connexions électriques à l'intérieur du module, par exemple entre le circuit intégré de la cellule et les barres omnibus du module, qui peut subir une usure due aux cycles thermiques. Les modules souples (sans verre) ne subissent pas les mêmes contraintes que ceux qui comportent des superstrats ou des substrats de verre. Par conséquent, l'utilisation du facteur d'équivalence employé dans le présent document peut ne pas convenir à ces modules.

Razširjeni ciklični temperaturni preskus PV-modulov - Preskusna metoda

Ta dokument opredeljuje preskusno zaporedje razširjenega cikličnega temperaturnega preskusa iz standarda IEC 61215-2. Namenjen je razvrščanju in ocenjevanju PV-modulov na podlagi izboljšane odpornosti na ciklične temperaturne obremenitve, ki jih nameravamo namestiti na lokacijah, ki so najbolj občutljive na temperaturne cikle1. Ta dokument temelji na predpostavki, da 95 % modulov, ki jih predstavljajo vzorci preskusa, opravijo preskušanje, enakovredno 500 temperaturnim ciklom, kot je opredeljeno v standardu IEC 61215-2:2016, 4.11.3, z največjo degradacijo moči manj kot 5 %. Vsebuje tudi določila za skrajšanje celotnega časa preskusa, če se poveča najvišja temperatura cikla in/ali število modulov, predloženih v preskus.
Postopek preskusa v tem dokumentu je bil razvit na podlagi analize obremenitve mehko spajkanih spojev na sončnih celicah iz kristalnega silicija, nanesenih na steklo v superstratni konfiguraciji. Če so spoji brez svinca, to vpliva na faktorje pospeška, vendar ne toliko, da bi se spremenili splošni rezultati tega preskusa. Omenjena obremenitev ne vpliva na monolitne module z integrirano celično povezavo, vendar so znotraj modula še vedno električne povezave, na primer med integriranim celičnim vezjem in vodili modulov, ki se lahko zaradi temperaturnega cikla obrabijo. Prilagodljivi moduli (brez stekla) niso obremenjeni enako kot tisti, naneseni na steklo v superstratni konfiguraciji ali na drugih podlagah, zato uporaba faktorja enakovrednosti, uporabljenega v tem dokumentu, morda ne bo uporabna za te module.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 06-Jun-2019
• Withdrawal Date: 21-May-2022
• 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: 07-Jun-2019
• Completion Date: 07-Jun-2019
• Ref Project: SIST EN IEC 62892:2019 - Extended thermal cycling of PV modules - Test procedure

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
SIST EN IEC 62892:2019
01-november-2019
Razširjeni ciklični temperaturni preskus PV-modulov - Preskusna metoda
Extended thermal cycling of PV modules - Test procedure
Procédure d'essai pour cycle thermique étendu de modules PV
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN IEC 62892:2019
ICS:
27.160 Sončna energija Solar energy engineering
SIST EN IEC 62892:2019 en

2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

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SIST EN IEC 62892:2019
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SIST EN IEC 62892:2019
EUROPEAN STANDARD EN IEC 62892
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
June 2019
ICS 27.160
English Version
Extended thermal cycling of PV modules - Test procedure
(IEC 62892:2019)

Cycle thermique étendu de modules PV - Procédure d'essai Erweiterte Temperaturwechselprüfung von PV Modulen

(IEC 62892:2019) (IEC 62892:2019)

This European Standard was approved by CENELEC on 2019-05-22. CENELEC members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC

Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard 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 European Standard 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: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels

© 2019 CENELEC All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CENELEC Members.

Ref. No. EN IEC 62892:2019 E
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SIST EN IEC 62892:2019
EN IEC 62892:2019 (E)
European foreword

The text of document 82/1537/FDIS, future edition 1 of IEC 62892, prepared by IEC/TC 82 "Solar

photovoltaic energy systems" was submitted to the IEC-CENELEC parallel vote and approved by

CENELEC as EN IEC 62892:2019.
The following dates are fixed:

• latest date by which the document has to be implemented at national (dop) 2020-02-22

level by publication of an identical national standard or by endorsement

• latest date by which the national standards conflicting with the (dow) 2022-05-22

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 62892:2019 was approved by CENELEC as a European

Standard without any modification.
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SIST EN IEC 62892:2019
EN IEC 62892:2019 (E)
Annex ZA
(normative)
Normative references to international publications
with their corresponding European publications

The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content

constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For

undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments)

applies.

NOTE 1 Where an International Publication has been modified by common modifications, indicated by (mod), the relevant

EN/HD applies.

NOTE 2 Up-to-date information on the latest versions of the European Standards listed in this annex is available here:

www.cenelec.eu.
Publication Year Title EN/HD Year

IEC 61215-1 2016 Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules - Design EN 61215-1 2016

qualification and type approval - Part 1: Test
requirements
IEC 61215-1-1 - Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules - Design EN 61215-1-1 -
qualification and type approval - Part 1-1: Special
requirements for testing of crystalline silicon
photovoltaic (PV) modules
IEC 61215-1-2 - Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules - Design EN 61215-1-2 -
qualification and type approval - Part 1-2: Special
requirements for testing of thin-film Cadmium
Telluride (CdTe) based photovoltaic (PV) modules
IEC 61215-1-3 - Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules - Design EN 61215-1-3 -
qualification and type approval - Part 1-3: Special
requirements for testing of thin-film amorphous
silicon based photovoltaic (PV) modules
IEC 61215-1-4 - Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules - Design EN 61215-1-4 -
qualification and type approval - Part 1-4: Special
requirements for testing of thin-film
Cu(In,GA)(S,Se) based photovoltaic (PV) modules

IEC 61215-2 2016 Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules - Design EN 61215-2 2017

qualification and type approval - Part 2: Test
procedures

IEC 61730-1 - Photovoltaic (PV) module safety qualification - Part EN IEC 61730-1 -

1: Requirements for construction

IEC 61730-2 - Photovoltaic (PV) module safety qualification - Part EN IEC 61730-2 -

2: Requirements for testing
IEC/TS 61836 - Solar photovoltaic energy systems - Terms, - -
definitions and symbols
IEC/TS 62915 - Photovoltaic (PV) modules - Type approval, design - -
and safety qualification - Retesting
IEC/TS 62941 2016 Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules - Quality - -
system for PV module manufacturing
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SIST EN IEC 62892:2019
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SIST EN IEC 62892:2019
IEC 62892
Edition 1.0 2019-04
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
colour
inside
Extended thermal cycling of PV modules – Test procedure
Cycle thermique étendu de modules PV – Procédure d'essai
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
INTERNATIONALE
ICS 27.160 ISBN 978-2-8322-6598-7

Warning! Make sure that you obtained this publication from an authorized distributor.

Attention! Veuillez vous assurer que vous avez obtenu cette publication via un distributeur agréé.

® Registered trademark of the International Electrotechnical Commission
Marque déposée de la Commission Electrotechnique Internationale
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SIST EN IEC 62892:2019
– 2 – IEC 62892:2019 © IEC 2019
CONTENTS

FOREWORD ........................................................................................................................... 3

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 5

1 Scope .............................................................................................................................. 6

2 Normative references ...................................................................................................... 6

3 Terms and definitions ...................................................................................................... 7

4 Sampling ......................................................................................................................... 7

5 Marking and documentation ............................................................................................. 7

6 Modifications ................................................................................................................... 8

7 Test procedure ................................................................................................................ 8

7.1 Initial evaluations .................................................................................................... 8

7.2 Thermal cycling test ................................................................................................ 8

7.2.1 Purpose ........................................................................................................... 8

7.2.2 Apparatus ........................................................................................................ 8

7.2.3 Procedure ........................................................................................................ 8

7.3 Final evaluations ..................................................................................................... 9

7.4 Requirements ....................................................................................................... 10

8 Reporting....................................................................................................................... 10

Annex A (normative) Calculation of the required number of thermal cycles .......................... 11

Annex B (informative) Acceleration factors based on deployed climate ................................ 14

Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 17

Figure A.1 – Number of equivalent cycles as a function of maximum cycle temperature

over maximum module operating temperature ....................................................................... 11

Figure A.2 – Survivorship plot for a Weibull distribution with a shape parameter of 6

and a survivorship probability of 95% at 500 cycles .............................................................. 12

Figure B.1 – Plot of module cell temperature over the course of one day to illustrate

the maximum temperature, maximum temperature change and temperature reversal

terms .................................................................................................................................... 14

Figure B.2 – Combination of factors that indicate extended thermal cycling is advised

for a specific location ............................................................................................................ 15

Table 1 – Number of required thermal cycles, N ................................................................... 9

Table A.1 – Effect of sample size on test time ....................................................................... 13

Table B.1 – Cell temperature factors ..................................................................................... 15

Table B.2 – Module and mounting specific model parameters ............................................... 16

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SIST EN IEC 62892:2019
IEC 62892:2019 © IEC 2019 – 3 –
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
EXTENDED THERMAL CYCLING OF PV MODULES –
TEST PROCEDURE
FOREWORD

1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising

all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international

co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To this end and

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2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international

consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all

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3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National

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any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in the latter.

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6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.

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8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is

indispensable for the correct application of this publication.

9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of patent

rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

International Standard IEC 62892 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 82: Solar

photovoltaic energy systems.
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
82/1537/FDIS 82/1560/RVD

Full information on the voting for the approval of this International Standard can be found in the

report on voting indicated in the above table.

This document has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.

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SIST EN IEC 62892:2019
– 4 – IEC 62892:2019 © IEC 2019

The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the

stability date indicated on the IEC website under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data related to

the specific document. At this date, the document will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.

IMPORTANT – The 'colour inside' logo on the cover page of this publication indicates

that it contains colours which are considered to be useful for the correct understanding

of its contents. Users should therefore print this document using a colour printer.

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SIST EN IEC 62892:2019
IEC 62892:2019 © IEC 2019 – 5 –
INTRODUCTION

The IEC 61215 series defines test requirements for the design qualification of flat-plate PV

modules for long-term operation in general open-air climates. IEC TS 62941 provides technical

guidance in application of the type-approval testing.

This document, IEC 62892, supplements IEC 61215 by providing an extended thermal cycling

test intended to differentiate PV modules with improved durability to thermal cycling and

evaluate modules for deployment in locations most susceptible to thermal cycling type stress.

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SIST EN IEC 62892:2019
– 6 – IEC 62892:2019 © IEC 2019
EXTENDED THERMAL CYCLING OF PV MODULES –
TEST PROCEDURE
1 Scope

This document defines a test sequence that extends the thermal cycling test of IEC 61215-2. It

is intended to differentiate PV modules with improved durability to thermal cycling and evaluate

modules for deployment in locations most susceptible to thermal cycling type stress . This

document is based on the ability for 95 % of the modules represented by the samples submitted

for this test to pass an equivalency of 500 thermal cycles, as defined in IEC 61215-2:2016,

4.11.3, with a maximum power degradation of less than 5 %. Provisions are also provided to

reduce overall test time by increasing the maximum cycle temperature and/or the number of

modules submitted for test.

The test procedure in this document was developed based on analysis of the stress on tin-lead

solder bonds on crystalline silicon solar cells in a glass superstrate type package. Changes to

lead-free solder have an effect on the acceleration factors but not enough to change the overall

results of this test. Monolithic type modules with integral cell interconnection do not suffer from

this specific type of stress but there are still electrical connections within the module, for

example between the integrated cell circuit and the module bus bars, that may be subject to

wear out from thermal cycling. Flexible modules (without glass) are not stressed in the same

way as those with glass superstrates or substrates, therefore use of the equivalency factor

employed in this document may not be applicable to these modules.
2 Normative references

The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content

constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies.

For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any

amendments) applies.

IEC 61215-1:2016, Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules – Design qualification and type

approval – Part 1: Test requirements

IEC 61215-1-1, Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules – Design qualification and type approval

– Part 1-1: Special requirements for testing of crystalline silicon terrestrial photovoltaic (PV)

modules

IEC 61215-1-2, Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules – Design qualification and type approval

– Part 1-2: Special requirements for testing of thin-film Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) based

photovoltaic (PV) modules

IEC 61215-1-3, Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules – Design qualification and type approval

– Part 1-3: Special requirements for testing of thin-film amorphous silicon based photovoltaic

(PV) modules

IEC 61215-1-4, Terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules – Design qualification and type approval

– Part 1-4: Special requirements for testing of thin-film Cu(In,GA)(S,Se) based photovoltaic

(PV) modules
___________

Guidance is provided in Annex B to assess if this test is warranted for the targeted deployment location.

...