Expert Electrical Safety Testing News & Advice

News

Page 4-5

Tech Talk

DC side isolation switch

Page 6-7

Product Review

Page 8

Round-up

Page 10

www.current-knowledge.com

International
solar PV testing

NEW

Faster, safer, traceable solar PV testing.

Its in the bag.
The PV150 Solarlink Test Kit contains more than simply the tools to meet all
the commissioning test requirements of IEC 62446 and other international
requirements. It holds the secret to making it more efficient, easier and safer.
Solarlink connectivity between the PV150 tester and Solar Survey 200R irradiance meter, allows
irradiance, module and ambient temperature results from the 200R to be transmitted over a wireless
link and be recorded in real time in the PV150.This is the only PV installation tester with all of the PV
electrical test functions in one hand-held unit. And now, you can improve speed and traceability by
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The solution to gaining the competitive edge? Its in the bag.
Contact us for full details +44 (0)191 586 3511 or +1 (813) 886-2775
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SOLAR
From Seaward

Welcome
to this international solar
PV edition of Current
Knowledge.

With the growing global

emphasis on reducing
greenhouse gas
emissions there has been
a surge in emphasis on
renewable energy
technologies.

03 Welcome
04-05 Industry news
Latest industry news, views and events for the
global solar marketplace

06-07 Tech Talk

Phil Old considers the need for solar PV

installations to incorporate the highest
standards of electrical safety and system
efficiency.

Jim Wallace
Editor

In Europe, although final solar PV installation

figures for 2011 have yet to be confirmed, reports
say that Italy has now overtaken Germany as the
worlds top solar PV market. Also, for the first time
in history, the UK solar market is set to enter into
the list of top 10 solar countries rising to an
expected seventh place.

For many solar markets, the question is how

politics and the economy will shape the energy
revolution in the future. But, despite the problems
associated with feed in tariff cuts being introduced
in some countries, the international picture for
solar remains bright and future opportunities are
encouraging.

It is also reported that USA more than doubled

the amount of solar electricity installed in 2011
compared to 2010 and growth is expected to
continue. Both India and China also have
considerable solar ambitions.

Against this background, for those of us within

the industry, the challenge is to continue to
develop and drive new solar energy technologies
to meet this growing need.

And it seems that there is more growth to come.

The International Energy Agency claims that
comprehensive policies supporting a large
portfolio of solar energy technologies have still to
be extended to most sunny regions of the world,
where most of the growth of population and
economy is taking place, and where seven out of
nine billion people will live in the second half of
this century.

CONTENTS

This special issue of Current Knowledge examines

some of these issues with particular emphasis on
solar PV test and measurement issues.
We hope you enjoy it.

08 Product feature
We look at advanced new Solarlink technology for
PV test and measurement in site survey and
system commissioning work.

09 Solar Testing Q+As

We provide answers to some of the most

common electrical test questions raised by PV
installers.

Best regards

10 Product round up
Jim Wallace,
Editor, Current Knowledge

A round up of whats new in the solar PV

electrical T&M world.

11 Competition

SUBSCRIBE
Expert Electrical Safety Testing News & Advice

For a free subscription to future issues of

Current Knowledge please email us your details at
subscriptions@current-knowledge.com

Your chance to take part in a short PV industry

survey for the opportunity to win $200 worth of
Amazon vouchers (or your local currency equivilent).
Publisher: Seaward, Bracken Hill, South West
Industrial Est., Co. Durham, SR8 2SW
Editor: Jim Wallace
Assistant Editors: Sin Sweeney and Ian Watson
Distribution: www.current-knowledge.com
Email: info@current-knowledge.com
letters@current-knowledge.com
Tel: +44 (0)191 586 3511

www.current-knowledge.com

NEWS

Whats

ON

Government summit
tackles solar issues
atlas by IRENA and the German Aerospace
Center. The atlas maps the potential for solar
and wind energy across the world, enabling
users to assess the cost-effectiveness of these
resources in different countries based on a host
of variables, including cost-effectiveness, local
energy prices and available incentives.

The Solar Future

More details at www.thesolarfuture.co.uk
June 26, The Solar Future UK 12, London UK

Intersolar
More details at www.intersolar.us
July 9-12, Intersolar North America,
San Francisco, California, USA
Solar Power International
More details at
www.solarpowerinternational.com/2012
September 10-13, Orlando, Florida, USA

The 27th European PV Solar Energy

Conference & Exhibition
More details at
www.photovoltaic-conference.com
September 24-28, Frankfurt, Germany

The Sixth China International Solar

Photovoltaic Exhibition
September 25 27, Shenzhen, China

Solar Power UK 2012

More details at www.solarpowerukevents.org
October 2-4, Birmingham NEC, UK

The 12th China Solar & Photovoltaic

Exhibition and Conference
& PVSEC-22 (Asia)
More details www.ch-solar.com
November 5 7, Hangzhou City, China

6th Renewable Energy India 2012 Expo

More details at
http://www.renewableenergyindiaexpo.com
November 7-9, Delhi, India

Expo Solar 2013

More details www.exposolar.org/2013
February 20-22 2013 Kintex, South Korea

In a similar vein, the USA announced the launch

The third Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM)
meeting held in London recently brought
together ministers from 22 governments and
the European Union to continue the
accelerated development of green energy
policies.
The summit included policy makers responsible
for 90 percent of global clean energy
investment. Of particular note was the launch
of the 21st Century Power Partnership, a move
that aims to advance the take-up of renewable
energy and renewable energy electricity
generation through policies and programs that
leverage smart grid technologies.
Of particular interest to the solar sector was the
release of a new global renewable resource

www.current-knowledge.com

The summit also saw a ministerial round table

discuss the merits of solar technology in
shaping the low carbon future. Ray Noble, the
UKs Solar Trade Associations PV specialist
was in attendance and said: The discussions
yesterday show that the important role of solar
is recognised internationally, and that includes
by the British Government. After the struggle
we've had to secure recognition for this
sector, it was a very uplifting event.

Chinas growing solar focus

A recent report on Chinas efforts to reduce
its carbon pollution levels from the
Australian Solar Energy Society (AUSES)
makes interesting reading.
The stated aim is for China to reduce its national
carbon output per unit of GDP by 17 per cent
by 2015, and 40-45 per cent by 2020. To
achieve this, China has made a strategic
investment in renewable energy, with the
unstated aim of leading the world as it moves
into the next industrial revolution.
China is already the worlds leading
manufacturer and installer of wind turbines and
is the home of seven of the worlds top ten solar
PV manufacturers (up from four in 2009).
AUSES believes it wont be long before China

of an ambitious beta version of the Global

Rooftop PV opportunity map. The map
highlights the potential commercial market for
rooftop solar by charting the solar potential of
rooftops, providing an easily accessible platform
for assessing the suitability of solar PV on a
property.

takes the lead as the largest installer of PV and

that its strategic investment in solar will have
profound implications for the global energy mix.
This strategic investment has helped drive
down the cost of PV modules by more than 60
per cent over the last three years, sending PV
closer than ever to parity with other forms of
electricity.
The US, Chinese and Indian Governments have
now all said they expect PV to be competitive
with fossil fuels by 2020 at the latest. Indeed,
China is likely to reach grid parity for industrial
users by 2014, and for residential users by
2017.
By this point, China is expecting to have more
than 100 gigawatts of installed solar capacity.
More at www. auses.org.au

s?
ew
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co ue
e. iss
dg xt
:
to le e
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cu at K
@ fe nt
rs d re
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let t co C
i
d
an

Graphene has
solar PV potential

of

New Global
Solar Council
established
A number of international solar PV
companies have come together to form the
Global Solar Council (GSC).
The founding companies include Applied
Materials, Dow Corning, DuPont, First Solar,
Lanco Solar, Phoenix Solar and Suntech.
The new group is intended as a high level
industry coalition to expand the global
deployment of solar energy in a sustainable and
cost-competitive way.
They will engage with policymakers to promote
the use of solar energy, and to emphasise the
importance of a supportive policy and trade
environment.
The new group will work alongside other solar
interest organisations such as APVIA, and
SEIA.
More details at www.globalsolarcouncil.net.

The most talked about new nanomaterial

could boost the efficiency of the next
generation of solar PV panels, researchers
at Michigan Technological University claim.
According to the material scientists, the
electrical conductivity of graphene, a twodimensional honeycomb of carbon atoms,
could make it a key ingredient in the next
generation of photovoltaic cells by improving
the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells.
In dye-sensitized solar cells, photons knock

Solar global news digest

, USA

Italy's government has voted to cut

incentives to solar projects and other
renewable energy projects by approximately
3 billion euros per year, in comparison to
previous arrangements.
As a result, solar incentives are expected to
be cut by approximately 35%. Nevertheless,
Italy has also set a more ambitious aim that
renewables will meet 35% of total electricity
demand by 2020.

Yun Hang Hu, professor of materials science

and engineering, said: "The excellent electrical
conductivity of graphene sheets allows them to
act as bridges, accelerating electron transfer
from the titanium dioxide to the photoelectrode.

w
, UK

A report says that the US solar industry could

employ hundreds of thousands of Americans
by the end of the decade. Research from the
Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy at
the University of Tennessee shows solar energy
following a similar growth path to mainstream
energy in the coming decades. The USA more
than doubled the amount of solar electricity
installed in 2011 compared to 2010 and growth
is expected to continue in 2012.
More at www.seia.org

, Italy

electrons from the dye into a thin layer of

titanium dioxide, which relays them to the
anode. A group of researchers at MTU found
that adding graphene to the titanium dioxide
increased its conductivity, bringing 52.4 percent
more current into the circuit.

The UK solar industry is preparing for a further

reduction in feed in tariff rates to be introduced
from 1st July. The Governments Department
of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has
proposed that the new starting tariff levels will
be set according to the levels of of new solar
installations during March and April. DECC has
modelled for three different scenarios
depending on the level of capacity installed.
More at www.solarpowerportal.co.uk.

, India

A new report says India's ambitious national

solar program has prompted rapid growth,
driving prices for solar energy to impressive
lows and demonstrating how government policy
can stimulate clean energy markets. The report
from the Natural Resources Defence Council
(NRDC) and the Council on Energy,
Environment and Water (CEEW) says that, in
two years, cumulative installed solar capacity
in India surged from 17.8 MW to over 500 MW.

, Japan

New feed-in tariffs (FITs) for PV installations

in Japan are expected to begin in July. Under
the proposal, non-residential systems under
10 kW will receive 40 yen/kWh for 20 years,
excluding tax. Residential systems under 10
kW will receive 42 yen/kWh for 10 years,
including tax. The FIT levels are in line with
a proposal from the Japan Photovoltaic
Energy Association.
www.current-knowledge.com

Tech Talk

Getting technical
PV system safety
is a burning issue
Phil Old, PV applications engineer at Seaward Solar, looks
at the fire safety implications of rooftop solar PV systems.
Given the growth in solar PV installations
worldwide, it should perhaps come as little
surprise that international concern regarding the
safety and quality of PV installations has become
a regular consideration that cannot be ignored.
In particular, the presence of fire hazards or
increased risk of electrocution is a regular
reminder of the dangers posed by incorrectly
installed or commissioned PV systems.
This was again the case recently in the UK, when
news of what is believed to be the countrys first
PV system fire made the headlines.
On this occasion it was reported that Kent
firefighters were called out to deal with a solar PV
fire in a domestic property. The fire, which is
thought to have been triggered by a faulty DC
switch, was said to have wreaked havoc at a
family home.
This situation is not uncommon. In recent years
there have been a number of reports of fires and
of unsafe installations in domestic solar PV
installations that could have posed a fire risk.

www.current-knowledge.com

In the USA, after a well-documented solar PV

thermal event that occurred in Bakersfield,
California, in April 2009, the cause was put down
to an undetected fault-to-ground in a grounded
current-carrying source circuit conductor at the
site. A subsequent analysis of utility-owned and
operated rooftop PV systems in North Carolina
revealed the presence of undetected ground faults
in approximately 10% of the systems surveyed.
Also in the USA, a report, Fire Fighter Safety and
Emergency Response for Solar Power Systems
published in 2010, prepared by the Fire Protection
Research Foundation, detailed several fires
caused by PV systems. The believed causes
included electrical malfunction, leaves and debris
under the solar panels, electrical arcing and
electrical faults in inverters.
More recently, last year, in Australia, the NSW
Government issued details of a survey of solar PV
installations in western Sydney that found that
18.5% of the installations had major defects. Of
the 658 systems inspected, 122 were found to
have significant safety issues and a further 418
(63.5%) were found to have minor defects.

These findings mirror that of a similar survey a

year earlier in France when safety inspectors from
the electrical safety certification agency Conseul
found that 51% of all PV installations in the country
posed a potential safety risk and did not conform
to regulations.
Clearly all these cases highlight the fire risks that
can be associated with PV systems and support
the need for thorough commissioning and regular
periodic electrical testing.
In many cases simple electrical faults or wiring
failures can therefore cause a serious inefficiency
in the ability of the system to produce power.
Undetected faults may also develop into a fire
hazard over time. Without fuse protection against
such faults, elimination of a fire risk can only be
achieved by both good system design and careful
installation alongside appropriate electrical
inspection and testing.
In the main, proper electrical commissioning
procedures are among the best defences against
latent fire or electrocution hazards although once
installed, ongoing and effective electrical testing
is also vital both to prove the continuing safe
installation of a PV system but also to verify
ongoing functional performance over
extended periods

Tech Talk
Compliance testing
There are many instruments available that are
sold under the title of solar testers so it is
vital to ensure that the instruments selected
are capable of performing all of the tests
required by the various compliance
requirements.
The absolute minimum testing that needs to be
undertaken involves continuity measurements
(where applicable), open circuit voltage, short
circuit current, insulation and irradiance.

The fire, which is thought to have been triggered by a faulty

DC switch, was said to have wreaked havoc at a family home.
IEC 62446
IEC 62446: 2009 Grid connected PV systems
minimum requirements for system
documentation, commissioning tests, and
inspection, specifies the minimum requirements
for PV system documentation commissioning
tests and inspections.
Although standards are not regulatory or
government imposed, they can be used to help
support regulations. They are created as a result
of experts, professionals and consumers working
together to set them for mutual benefit and ensure
high quality.
In the case of solar PV systems, compliance with
IEC 62446 means householders should be
assured that installation they are investing in is
safe and adheres to an internationally recognised
level of expected quality.
IEC 62446 does this by setting out the information
and documentation that should be provided to
the customer following the installation of a solar
panel system and also the initial (and periodic)
electrical inspection and testing required.
In short the standard sets out measures to ensure that:

The PV panels and electrical supply

This international standard was published in

March 2009. When voting was taken on this
standard, all member countries voted in favour,
including the UK, USA, Russia, China and many
other major contributors.

should be

There has been no damage to cables

during installation

However, the danger with such homemade kits

is that they may not cover all of the tests required
by IEC 62446 and, with different PV system
electrical tests potentially requiring the use of
different testers, using such an array of
instruments can be cumbersome and time
consuming.

However different countries take a different

approach. In the USA, for example, there is a
variety of regulations often defined by individual
states and the picture is more complex. Although
the National Electric Code exists as an overall
defining document, it has also had to be revised
on a regular basis in order to keep pace with the
moving demands of the PV market.
In Europe, the standard has been adopted as a
European EN in many member states and is
generally regarded as making a significant
contribution to improving the quality and safety
of PV systems.

When it comes to solar PV electrical test

instrumentation, the choice for the installer is
therefore between using general purpose
individual items of equipment against all in one
combination PV testers and dedicated electrical
test kits that enable measurements to be taken
in a fast, safe and efficient fashion.

In the UK, for example, the British Microgeneration

Certification Scheme has adopted the principles
of IEC 62446 as the basis for its testing and
documentation regime. As a result, the
fundamentals of the standard are effectively
enforced because no feed-in-tariff will be paid to
a consumer unless the installation has been
installed by an MCS accredited installer.

In this respect, given the recent reductions to solar

feed in tariffs, the ability of multi-function testers
to help installers to work faster and more efficiently
without reducing the integrity of testing is set to
become even more important in terms of
remaining competitive.

It is interesting to note that the emphasis is on

documentation, and this is in effect the evidence
used to demonstrate that appropriate precautions
and tests were undertaken prior to the handing
over of a PV system to the property owner.

In terms of working more efficiently dedicated

solar PV testers can also record and provide
results in a format that is compatible with data
recording programs that assist greatly in the
creation of comprehensive system information
folders for use in customer test certificates and
system commissioning packs.

connections have been wired up correctly

That the electrical insulation is good

The protective earth connection is as it

To meet the electrical test needs some contractors

have used multiple instruments that typically
include an earth continuity and insulation
resistance tester a multimeter, DC clamp meter
along with various associated connectors and leads.

www.current-knowledge.com

Product Review

TM

NEW SOLARLINK
PV TEST
TECHNOLOGY
The latest solar PV electrical test
kit from Seaward Solar has
special PV system
datalogging and
downloading capabilities
to enable contractors to
install new solar PV
installations safely,
thoroughly and
effectively in line with
international standards.
The new Solarlink Test Kit includes all the
necessary equipment to perform pre-installation
site surveys and measure the electrical safety and
performance of installed PV systems in line with
the international IEC 62446 standard and regional
requirements such as MCS MIS 3002, NABCEP
and many others.
The all-in-one kit combines the comprehensive
electrical test capabilities of the new PV150 solar
handheld tester with the advanced Solar Survey
200R multifunction environment meter.
The PV150 is the most technically advanced and
safest solar PV installation tester on the market.
In the comprehensive new kit it is accompanied
by the Solar Survey 200R environment meter
which incorporates a PV reference cell for more
representative measurements.
Once testing is completed, the USB download

call:

of time and date stamped test results, irradiance

and temperature measurements provides full
traceability and speeds up the completion of PV
system documentation and customer handover
packs.
In addition to solar PV system installation and
commissioning, the new Solarlink Test Kit is ideal
for conducting site surveys of potential
installations, by quickly providing the information
needed to calculate estimated annual solar
irradiation and system yields of PV and solar
thermal systems.
As well as the PV150 and the Solar Survey 200R
and associated calibration certificates, the
comprehensive kit includes an AC/DC current
clamp, various test lead adaptors, test probes
and a USB download cable with a quick start
instruction guide and video.

+44 (0) 191 586 3511 (UK office)

+1 (813) 886 2775 (USA office)
email: enquiry@seawardsolar.com
visit: seawardsolar.com

www.current-knowledge.com

Special wireless Solarlink connectivity

between the PV150 and Survey 200R enables
real-time irradiance to be displayed and
measured at the same time as electrical
testing is being undertaken.
This means that compass bearing and roof tilt
can be measured and irradiance, module and
ambient temperature can be recorded in real
time within the PV150 as the electrical tests
are conducted.

Question Time
Jim Wallace of Seaward Solar
answers some typical
questions being asked about
solar PV electrical testing

Is periodic inspection and testing of PV

installations necessary? If so, why?

The verification of system performance and

energy output from the panels is
particularly important and a major reason
why periodic verification and testing of the
system can also be very important as well as being
essential to comply with warranty and PV system
guarantees.
Undetected faults may also develop into a fire hazard
over time. Without fuse protection against such faults,
elimination of a fire risk can only be achieved by both
good system design and careful installation with
appropriate inspection and testing.

What are the key warning signs that a

system may not be performing as it
should?

In many cases simple electrical faults or

wiring failures can cause a serious
inefficiency in the ability of the panel to
produce power. This is particularly
important for installers working on roof rental schemes
were installation has been provided free of charge in
return for receipt of the feed-in tariff payments.
Although metering will always give an indication of
system performance, effective electrical testing is also
vital not only to prove the safe installation of a new
system but also to verify ongoing functional
performance.

Q
A

What equipment is required for testing

a solar PV installation?

The absolute minimum testing that needs

to be undertaken involves continuity
measurements, open circuit voltage, short
circuit current, insulation and irradiance.
Other tests involving the use of I-V curve tracers, power
analysers and thermal imaging cameras are not

mandatory but may be regarded as useful to carry out

certain diagnostic testing or to assess different
performance parameters of the solar PV system.
It is therefore largely up to the installer to decide whether
he wishes to purchase individual items of equipment or
select one or possibly two instruments which provide a
combination of tests to enable measurements to be taken
in a fast, safe and efficient fashion.

What are the key considerations that

should be addressed prior to selecting
a piece of test equipment?

There are many instruments available on

the market that are sold under the title of
Solar Testing so it is vital to ensure that the
instruments selected are capable of
performing all of the tests required by the IEC 62446
standard.
The nature of PV testing is such that it can expose the
installer to high voltages, so the selection of an instrument
which is capable of automatically and safely performing
tests greatly improves efficiency and safeguards the
installer.
The availability of new multi-purpose solar PV test
instrumentation also means that the functions of a
number of individual test instruments can be combined
in a single tool with consequent savings in cost and
improved practical considerations.

Why measure solar irradiance?

The electrical output will vary significantly

with changes in the level of in-plane
irradiance. Solar PV panel manufacturers
quote the electrical output at standard test
conditions (STC) with an irradiance level of 1000W/m2.
Therefore, when commissioning a PV system, it is
necessary to measure the level of irradiance at the same
time as testing its electrical output, to know whether it is
working to its potential under the existing irradiance levels.
If the electrical output is different from the manufacturers
quoted values, it must be determined whether this is due
to a fault in the PV installation, or simply because
irradiance was different from STC.

Got a question? Send it to: letters@current-knowledge.com

Simultaneous measurement and recording of irradiance,

open circuit voltage (Voc) and short circuit current (Isc)
is required for the PV Array Test Report for IEC 62446.

How is solar irradiance

measured?

Solar irradiance meters that assess PV

modules must have a spectral response
close to that of a PV module in order to
measure true irradiance as a PV system
would. There are two irradiance measurement methods
defined and accepted by international standards
covering the performance measurement of PV systems:
1. Pyranometer
High precision, high cost instruments using thermal
sensors in a glass dome.
2. PV Reference Cell
Effectively a small scale version of a PV module,
having the same response to solar energy.
Temperature compensation ensures accuracy is not
affected by heat. Devices such as light meters, lux
meters or devices using photo diode sensors do not
have the same spectral response as a PV module, they
do not compensate for temperature and are likely to
introduce significant measurement errors if used for
solar PV applications. They are not suitable for use on
PV systems.

Is there likely to be further legislation

concerning solar PV testing?

The Standard IEC62446 is under review

and will have modifications in the future.
It should be recognised that the PV
industry has developed at such a rate that
it has moved faster than the standards making
organisations can move and the result is the potential
for a continual development and review of standards.

Thanks for some great questions Keep

them coming and look out for future TechTalk
articles covering these topics.
www.current-knowledge.com

Product Round-up

Solar site surveys

New high specification Seaward Solar Survey instruments
combine irradiance measurement with a host of other features
to enable solar PV and solar thermal contractors carry out site
surveys quickly and easily.
The versatile devices use a precision PV cell
sensor for the highly accurate irradiance
measurement, displaying results in either
W/m2 or BTU/h/ft2. Uniquely, the new multi
function units also incorporate a digital
compass, a digital tilt meter and a dual
channel precision thermometer.
Incorporates
wireless
Solarlink
connectivity in
conjunction with
the PV150 tester.
TM

System documentation
A dedicated new software program for the solar PV industry helps
system installers produce all electrical test documentation for client
handover packs quickly and easily.
SolarCert Elements enables USB download of
test results from PV150 or manual data entry for
the fast and simple recording, storing and
searching of all electrical test and measurements
in line with the requirements of many certification
schemes and the IEC 62446 standard.
Once entered into the SolarCert Elements
program, test data can easily be used to create

These special features enable the user to

accurately measure irradiance, roof pitch,
orientation and both ambient air and PV module
temperature.
The compact and rugged instruments are battery
powered and the special Solarlink wireless
connectivity of Solar Survey 200R enables data
to be displayed and recorded on the Solar
Installation PV150 tester.
TM

Performance
and maintenance
diagnostics

professional PV array test and system inspection

reports as well as verification certificates which
can be saved, printed and e-mailed as PDF files.
For manual paper based systems, the Seaward
Solar PV Inspection Test Reports and Certificates
documentation sets are supplied in pre-printed
pad format for the fast and simple entry of test
data on-site.

As an advanced AC/DC power analysis

tool, the Seaward Solar Power Clamp
ensures optimal return on investment
from installed PV systems.

`
10

For more information on these or any of our other products:

Email: enquiry@seawardsolar.com or visit: seawardsolar.com
www.current-knowledge.com

Suitable for effective power measurement and

diagnostic testing of inverters, the high
performance instrument assesses AC and DC
circuit power, in addition to true RMS voltage and
current, resistance & continuity, diode check,
capacitance, harmonic distortion and power
factor measurement.

Survey

Win $200 of Amazon

gift vouchers

TM

(or your local currency equivalent).

As part of a global study, Current Knowledge is

conducting a survey to find out more about the PV
industry and the testing regimes of PV installers
worldwide, the results of which will be published in
future issues.

How to enter
Go to
www.seawardsolar.com/industry-survey
or scan the QR code for details.

The short survey is available online, and for completing it you will
be automatically entered into a prize draw to win an Amazon gift
cerificate worth $200* (or you local currency equivalent).

*Terms and Conditions

No cash alternative. Closing date 31st July 2012. Winner will be notified
by email. Winner will receive $200 Amazon Gift Certificate or the local currency
equivalent at the time the prize is drawn

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11

NEW

A Solar irradiance meter,

and then some.
The Solar Survey 200R is the
only irradiance meter with:

Built-in PV reference cell for greater accuracy

Built-in compass
Built-in inclinometer
2 built-in thermometers, measuring
ambient and module temperature
Built-in data log + USB port
Solarlink sends real time readings
to our PV150 installation tester
Complies to IEC 62446
Suitable for solar PV and thermal applications
TM

Find out more at www.seawardsolar.com

SOLAR
From Seaward