The purpose of this Appendix is to describe the Technical Specifications, Quality Control and Testing Requirements that will apply to all PV modules produced by the Module Supplier and delivered to the Purchaser, including the respective obligations.

The Purchaser will involve an accredited third-party test institute as Consultant as its representative and pay the costs to manage the technical due diligence and quality assurance requirements contained in this Appendix. The reports issued by the Consultant shall include, but not limited to, description of test and/or reference to the international standard followed, test set up, read values and photographs.

Module Supplier: …

Address: … APPROVED WORKSHOPS: …

Consultant: …

General Definitions

Consultant: The organization or company that is responsible to undertake the inspection of the factory and PV modules manufacturing processes; PI, CEA, STS, TÜV, or similar.

BOM: Bill of Materials, materials that are certified and approved by accredited test institute, as part of CDF.

Reference module: also called measurement device, serves to determine the power of PV modules under simulated sunlight. The calibration of the primary reference module is based on a radiometer of standard detector or standard light source traceable to SI (Standard International) units as defined in IEC 60904-4. The primary reference module is therefore also called golden module as it serves as most accurate calibration basis for its corresponding secondary reference modules (which are also called silver reference modules). Secondary reference modules are calibrated in natural or simulated sunlight against their corresponding primary reference module. The Reference Modules should be identical both in BOM and size with the modules to be procured.

STC: Standard Test Conditions, it specifies an irradiance of 1000W/m² with an air mass 1.5 (AM1.5) spectrum and 25℃ temperature when measuring the Module output and performance.

Solar simulator: can produce continuous and stable illumination close to sunlight and is an equipment for testing the photoelectric characteristics of modules.

Module Supplier: The organization or factory that produces and provides PV modules to Purchaser.

AQL: Acceptance Quality Limit, the minimum allowable average process quality level when a continuous series of batches is submitted for Acceptance. The accept and reject numbers of AQL can be searched in ISO 2859-1:1999(EN).

Manufacturing and Technical Specifications and Requirements

This section to the Contract describes the Product, Manufacturing and Quality Requirements that will apply to all PV modules produced by the Module Supplier and delivered to the Purchaser, including the respective obligations for both parties. This section refers to other sections that also form part of the Contract.

Module Technical Specifications

The Module Supplier will produce and deliver modules to the Purchaser in compliance with all specifications referenced on the datasheet. The module technical datasheet shall be approved by the Purchaser before each Purchase Order, as defined in 4 (List of Documents for Purchase Order).
A label depicting the serial number of the module and barcode representing the serial number must be attached in at least two places on the module:
One of which must be on the rear of the module adjacent to the junction box;
And the second of which must be embedded in the laminate and visible from the front side of the finished module.
The barcode must be legible and readable by a standard barcode reader and the serial number must be traceable to the unique production and quality parameters for each serialized module.
Prior to the Pre-Production Factory Audit, the Module Supplier shall provide the Bills of Materials (BOM(s)) for approval to the Purchaser to be used including superstrate, encapsulant(s), insulation, solar cells, cell and string interconnectors, substrates, junction boxes, junction box pottant, cables and connectors, bypass diodes, fluxing agent, frame and frame sealant to be used for production of the modules for the Purchaser. The declared BOM should include the material vendor’s name and unique material part or type identifier.
The declared BOM(s) will be listed in 5 (Declared Bill(s) of Materials) and must include each unique combination of materials being used by the Module Supplier.
Modules with the declared BOM(s) must be IEC 61215:2021 and IEC 61730:2016 Class II certified.
Prior to Pre-Production Factory Audit, the Module Supplier will also provide the Consultant with the IEC 61215:2021 and IEC 61730:2016 certificates and full testing reports for the modules that contain the declared BOM(s) for compliance verification. The Consultant will check the certificates and test reports and confirm the use of declared BOM(s).
The Module Supplier must produce modules for the Purchaser using only the declared IEC certified BOM(s). Failure by the Module Supplier to use only the declared IEC certified BOM(s) will result in the Purchaser/Consultant rejecting the non-compliant modules prior to shipment which is entirely at the cost and risk of the Module Supplier.
If the Purchaser/Consultant identifies that the declared and approved BOM(s) are not IEC certified or compliant, the Module Supplier will be required to change the BOM(s) until compliance with IEC certification is achieved and before production of modules is permitted to start.
Form, fit or function changes to the modules supplied under this Contract shall not be permitted. Changes to the agreed module specifications or the declared BOM(s) shall also not be permitted.
The solar cells used to manufacture the modules must be in compliance with the declared, IEC certified BOMs, and must be PID-resistant in accordance with IEC 62804-1. The modules using the compliant solar cells must also be PID-resistant. Prior to production start for the Purchaser, the Module Supplier must provide third party test data to validate that these requirements have been met. The report containing the test data must also reference the declared BOMs, the test method used to assess PID and the test results in terms of power before and after testing.
The modules with the declared BOM(s) will be protected by the Module Supplier’s warranty document. The warranty document shall be approved by the Purchaser which shall be in accordance with this Contract before each Purchase Order, as defined in 4 List of Documents for Purchase Order.
Prior to production start for the Purchaser, the Module Supplier must provide third-party validated PAN files with test report for the modules with the declared BOM(s). The test report must include the IAM test. PAN files are guaranteed by the Module Supplier. If the actual performance of the modules is lower than the performance expected from the provided pan files, the Purchaser shall agree on compensatory measures in the implementation agreement.
In average, the modules provided by the Module Supplier must be at least 2Wp (or more) above the module nameplate capacity in the flash list.

Legislation and regulatory

Manufacture and performance of the PV modules and the tests applied shall be in compliance with all the applicable codes, standards, and regulations of the local and international authority having jurisdiction.

IEC 61215:2021 (Crystalline silicon terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules – Design qualification and type approval)
IEC-61730-1:2016, IEC-61730-2:2016. Photovoltaic module safety qualification.
Declaration of conformity CE Mark
ISO 45001 Health and safety
ISO 14001 Environmental Management systems.
ISO 9001 Quality management systems.
IEC-60891:2021 Photovoltaic devices - Procedures for temperature and irradiance corrections to measured I-V characteristics
IEC-60904-1:2020 Photovoltaic devices. Part 1: Measurement of photovoltaic current-voltage characteristics
IEC TS 60904-1-2:2019 Photovoltaic devices - Part 1-2: Measurement of current-voltage characteristics of bifacial photovoltaic (PV) devices
IEC-60904-2:2015 Requirements for reference solar devices (cancels and replaces IEC-60904-6)
IEC-60904-3:2016 Measurement principles for terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) solar devices with calibrated spectral irradiance data
IEC-60904-7:2019 Computation of spectral mismatch correction for measurements of photovoltaic device
IEC-60904-8:2014 Part 8: Measurement of spectral responsivity of a photovoltaic (PV) device
IEC-60904-9:2020 Part 9: of solar simulator characteristics
IEC 62804-1:2015 Photovoltaic (PV) modules – Test methods for the detection of potential-induced degradation – Part 1: Crystalline silicon
IEC 60068-2-68:1994 Environmental Testing-Part 2-68: Test L: Dust and sand (Project specific)
IEC 62716:2013 Photovoltaic modules- Ammonia corrosion testing
IEC 61701:2020 Salt mist corrosion testing of photovoltaic modules
IEC 63202-1:2019 Measurement of light-induced degradation of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells
IEC TS 63342 Light and elevated temperature induced degradation (LETID) test for c-Si Photovoltaic (PV) modules: Detection
IEC 61853-1:2011 Photovoltaic (PV) module performance testing and energy rating - Part 1: Irradiance and temperature performance measurements and power rating
IEC 61853-2:2016 Photovoltaic (PV) module performance testing and energy rating - Part 2: Spectral responsivity, incidence angle and module operating temperature measurements

Evidence of manufacturing, performance and testing of PV modules under the abovementioned regulations must be available. Certificates are accepted from an accredited third test institute.

Mechanical requirements

The modules shall be designed for a lifetime of at least 30 years operating outdoor. The Module Supplier shall provide the necessary documentation to justify this guarantee.


Technology	Monocrystalline
Size of Cells	M10 (182 mm) M10R (Rectangular wafers) G12 (210 mm)
Bifaciality	Bifacial
Number of Cells	Depending on cell cutting strategy. However, equivalent to full-cell-72c (for M10) or 66c (for M10R and G12)
Dimensions (mm)	As per Datasheet
Junction Box	Protection class IP67 or higher with by-pass diode
Output size cables	Solar cable of AWG10, 4 mm2 or equivalent
Output Cable length (mm)	Project specific
Connector	MC4 or equivalent
Frame	Aluminum-alloy
Front	ARC Tempered Glass, 2mm or higher
Encapsulate	Double POE or POE with EVA
Backsheet	Heat Strengthened Glass, 2 mm or higher

Installation Requirements

Modules connected in series (length of string of modules)

The Module Supplier is hereby requested to confirm maximum number of modules that can be connected in series (length of string of modules) at project site, as this is directly related to the maximum overvoltage acceptable by the Module Supplier. The Module Supplier shall share its study on this.

Manufacturing Quality Specifications

The modules must be manufactured in facilities with valid ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.
The Purchaser will only accept factory fresh new-build modules that have been independently quality assured by the Consultant as detailed in this section.
The Purchaser will not accept any modules from stock or inventory of the Module Supplier. The Purchaser will also not accept any modules that have been repaired or re-worked (either prior to or during production). Modules are considered as having been re-worked if any construction changes are (or have been) made to the finished module – e.g., removal and replacement of cells, encapsulant, or substrate and replacement of the frame or junction box. Re-work of module assemblies prior to lamination is not considered re-work for the purposes of this section.
Purchaser will only accept modules manufactured in the Module Supplier’s owned and operated manufacturing facilities and assembled in workshops which have passed a Pre-Production Factory Audit (“Approved Workshops”) as long as: Corrective actions are taken by the Module Supplier in the Approved Workshops to mitigate any critical or major risks identified by Consultant during the Pre-Production Factory Audit or any subsequent correction actions required as a result of the defect in the manufacturing process.
The Consultant shall verify that corrective actions taken by the Module Supplier have successfully mitigated the identified risks before production start and,
If the Module Supplier does not pass any Pre-Production Factory Audit or does not successfully implement all corrective actions to the satisfaction of the Purchaser, the Purchaser will require the Module Supplier , within fourteen (14) calendar days of receipt of notice of the failure to implement all corrective actions, to either:

Implement the outstanding corrective actions before production start, or
Propose further changes to the manufacturing process, module materials or design to mitigate the outstanding risk(s), or
Propose changes in the quality assurance plan for the project to mitigate the outstanding risk(s)

For Crystalline silicon PV Modules, the Module Supplier must undertake electro-luminescence (EL) imaging on 100% of all finished modules as part of final quality control (FQC) at the factory. The Module Supplier will provide EL images of each module and per container (identified by serial number) in electronic form and within forty-eight (48) hours of completion of each day’s production.
The EL imaging must be undertaken by the Module Supplier with a minimum 8 Megapixel (MP) resolution and stored with a minimum file size of 700 kilobytes (kB), be clearly focused (not blurred) and the associated image displays used in the factory must be capable of displaying the images at sufficient resolution and contrast (as set by an appropriate reverse current) for all qualifying defects to be clearly identified. The manufacturer is required to have stationary EL imaging equipment meeting these requirements available at any of its workshops scheduled for the production of the PV modules of the Purchaser. The EL imaging equipment shall be properly debugged prior to production to ensure good sharpness of the EL images.
Flash testing must be conducted at the end of line on all fully finished modules using a minimum AAA solar simulator which is regularly calibrated using secondary reference modules which have themselves been calibrated with primary reference modules that have been calibrated within the past twelve (12) months at an accredited, ISO 17025-certified and internationally recognized laboratory. Reference modules shall at any time during production comply with the workmanship requirements as per IEC60904-2:2015. Non-conforming reference modules shall be replaced immediately. The Purchaser has the right to reject acceptance of any module flash tested with solar simulators that are calibrated with non-conforming reference modules.
All solar simulators used for testing the modules produced for the Purchaser must be re-calibrated latest every 8 hours and calibration data must be registered and made available to Purchaser and Consultant
Flash testing must be conducted at standard test conditions (STC) according to IEC 61215 for standard modules and according to IEC 60904-1-2:2019 for bifacial modules, and the flash test data must be recorded for each module.
The Module Supplier will make sure that flash test data are available per module and per container (identified by serial number) in electronic form and within twenty-four (24) hours of completion of each day’s production. The flash test data shall include at least STC power output, open circuit voltage, short circuit current, maximum power point voltage, maximum power point current, fill factor, date and time of flash test, power class and current class. The measurement accuracy of each parameter should also be stated. The Consultant will compare the flash test data provided with the minimum specifications for the module type being purchased and any modules that do not meet the minimum specifications will be rejected by the Consultant prior to shipment.

Packaging and shipping specifications

Modules must be assembled on pallets with modules of only one power class and only one current class per pallet. Mixed pallets are not permitted, except the last pallet of each batch. Each pallet must be clearly labelled with the power class and the current class (bin class). The power class and current class shall be easily visible and interpretable by illiterate people, e.g., with the use of colors or letters directly printed on each module label.
Containers must contain exclusively pallets of identical power class and current class. Exception to this rule is the last batch shipment, where pallets of different power classes and current classes may be mixed into the same container to create full containers.
The Module Supplier will package and ship modules according to Module Supplier’s specifications. The package and shipping specifications shall be approved by the Purchaser before each Purchase Order, as defined in 4 List of Documents for Purchase Order. The packaging must be suitable for road transportation and international sea shipping.
The modules must at all times be packaged and shipped in a vertical orientation (not horizontally) with sufficient protection to prevent any shipping-related damage, including bending or flexing of the modules that can cause micro-cracks in the cells.
Each container shall be equipped with shock-recorders, unless agreed otherwise.

List of Documents for Purchase Order

The Documents to be delivered to the Purchaser before each Purchase Order under the Contract should be valid and applicable to the specific module type and specific Bill of Materials (BoM) of the Purchase Order. Specific BoM means that for each component that will be used in modules manufactured for the Purchase Order, the actual supplier and type should be listed, not a range of suppliers and/or types.

Product specifications

Datasheet
Third party verified PAN files & PAN file test report including IAM test
Third party certified Constructional Data Form (CDF)
Specific BoMs (maximum three combinations and three suppliers per component)

Product Certificates and Test Reports (from Accredited Test Institutes)

IEC 61215:2021 certificates including test reports and CDF
IEC 61730-1:2016 and IEC 61730-2:2016 certificates including test reports and CDF
CE Mark
IEC TS 62804 certificate including test report and CDF
IEC 61701 certificate (salt mist corrosion) including test report and CDF
IEC 62716 certificate (ammonia corrosion) including test report and CDF
IEC 60068-2-68 certificate (dust and sand) including test report and CDF
IEC TS 62782 certificate (dynamic mechanical load) including test report and CDF
IEC TS 63342 certificate (LeTID) including test report and CDF
IEC 62892 certificate (extended thermal cycling) including test report and CDF
IEC 62938 certificate (non-uniform snow load testing) including test report and CDF

System Certificates

ISO 9001 certificate
ISO 14001 certificate
ISO 45001 and/or OHSAS 18001 certificate

Warranty

Limited product warranty terms and conditions
Warranty insurance terms and conditions (Powerguard, Munich-RE, Ariel-RE etc.)

Manuals

Packaging and shipping requirements
Installation manual
Module cleaning guidelines / maintenance manual
Any other documentation required for compliance with Limited product warranty terms and conditions

Quality Control Plan (QCP)

Visual inspection Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and criteria
Flash test SOP and criteria
EL imaging SOP and criteria
Lamination peel test SOP and criteria
Cell peel test SOP and criteria
Encapsulant gel content determination SOP and criteria

Test reports

Report of third-party product qualification tests (if available):
PVEL Product Qualification Program (PQP)
CSA C450 - PV Module Testing Protocol for Quality Assurance Programs
Thresher test
TÜV Long-term sequential tests (plus)
Atlas 25+
Fraunhofer - PVDI
Internal or external test report of extended Damp Heat, Humidity Freeze, Thermal Cycling, PID, LeTID or other extended reliability tests
Internal or external test report of verification of Light Induced Degradation (LID), Incident Angle Modifier (IAM), Rshunt, Rseries or other module parameters used in PVsyst simulations
Internal or external test report of low light IV curve data at different irradiations (200, 400, 600, 800 W/m2)
Internal or external test report of spectral response (QEQ factor) for the declared BOM(s), according to IEC 60904-8
Flasher calibration certificate and calibration protocol

Declared Bill(s) of Materials


Manufacturer
Product Type
Rated power
Dimensions
Nr of busbars
Prepared by
Date

Declared Bill of Material


Material type	Vendor	Type/Model	Technical Data	Production location
Solar cells
Superstrate (front cover)
Substrate (rear cover)
Encapsulant front
Encapsulant rear
Frame parts
Cell interconnectors
String interconnectors
Adhesive (frame)
Fixing tape
Fluxing agent
Insulation layer
Junction box
Cables
Connectors
Bypass diodes
Adhesive junction box
Potting material

Important note: Vendor name, Type/Model name and Technical data are to be defined exactly the same as per the respective model’s CDF. Materials such as junction boxes, frames and others are often labelled under the module manufacturer’s own brand. The respective OEM of these components should therefore be clarified to the Purchaser accordingly, also to verify compliance to the respective CDFs.

Quality Assurance Processes

This section defines the processes and acceptance criteria that shall be followed by the Purchaser or its Consultant to accept PV modules provided by Module Supplier regarding the Purchase Order.

Following QA processes shall be carried out by the Consultant, on behalf of the Purchaser:

Pre-Production Factory Audit
Production Monitoring
Pre-shipment Inspection at Module Supplier’s facility
Pre-shipment Testing at Third party laboratory
On-site Inspection after Module delivery at Project site

Pre-Production Factory Audit

The factory audit shall be performed at all production lines allocated for the project, at least 4 weeks before the production start. Corrective actions mentioned in the factory audit report shall be implemented and verified by the Consultant, at least a week before the production start.

The factory audit performed for a particular workshop shall be valid for maximum 6 months.

The audit will include a detailed assessment of the following:

Factory Management

Supply chain management and control
Production and quality management; implementation of and compliance to ISO standards
Engineering change control, material quality control (MRB)
Factory floor conditions – safety, layout, cleanliness and environmental control
Staff training and management

Conformance to product standards

In-factory compliance and control procedures
Bill of material (BOM) control
Application of IEC mandated safety tests

Material controls

Material storage and control; incoming quality control (IQC)
Material preparation; material traceability

Manufacturing process and equipment control

Cell soldering
Method and process design
Equipment, maintenance and calibration
Process control; quality control and assurance - including peel strength evaluation
Lay-up
Method and process design – including placement, fixtures and assembly
Equipment, maintenance and calibration
Process control, including repair and replacement processes
Quality control and assurance
Lamination
Method and process design
Equipment, maintenance and calibration
Process control; quality control and assurance – including adhesion strength and gel content
Trimming and inspection
Method and process design
Equipment, maintenance and calibration
Process control; quality control and assurance – including laminate edge quality
Frame
Framing method and process design – including sealing method, mechanical assembly method
Equipment, maintenance and calibration
Process control – including sealant application, mechanical part assembly
Quality control and assurance – sealing quality, mechanical integrity, dimensional compliance
Junction box
Box design and application to rear-side
Electrical connections; potting and curing (if used)
Equipment, maintenance and calibration
Process control – including application of adhesive and potting material, mechanical part assembly
Storage conditions after potting
Quality control and assurance – including functionality check, electrical joint quality, material and curing quality
Manufacturing and measurement equipment calibration and maintenance

Quality Control (IQC, IPQC, FQC, OQC)

Material controls and management
Material storage and control; incoming quality control (IQC)
Material preparation; material traceability
Safety testing
Hi-pot, insulation, ground-continuity and wet leakage
Equipment functionality, suitability, settings, calibration and maintenance
Flash testing
Equipment certification, settings & controls
Internal and external calibration control
Calibration module management – including BOM compliance
Sorting, data storage and retention
Electro-luminescence (EL) imaging
Equipment, capture resolution, display resolution, frequency
Criteria and screening process
Data storage and retention
Outgoing quality control (OQC)
Cleaning, final inspection
Finished goods management
Labelling
Packaging
Warehousing, shipping and transport
Workplace safety and environmental protections

Production Monitoring

Consultant shall conduct in-factory monitoring (Production Monitoring) of PV modules produced for the purchaser. 100% of the total produced volume shall be overseen by the Consultant.

As part of Production Monitoring, the Consultant shall ensure that the Module Supplier, in the production of modules for the Purchaser, consistently and correctly applies its own manufacturing procedures, quality standards and that all the important material, process and production controls necessary to produce high quality PV modules as described in this section are followed.

Production Monitoring will focus on quality related factors that can only be reliably identified by witnessing and over-seeing the actual manufacturing process itself. Production Monitoring helps prevent latent defects being built into the modules that are difficult to detect after production has been completed. The Production Monitoring requirements and process is defined in this section.

Scope

Following defects should be recognized and sorted out at different stages in production process:
Cell and cross connector positioning and spacing
Foreign objects, contamination or markings on laminate
Broken cells or missing cell pieces
Misaligned ribbons or wire defects
Bubbles or other lamination errors
Dirt on glass
External module dimensions and frame straightness
Barcode label positioning and content
The Module Supplier will provide the related acceptance criteria as per the Quality Assurance/ Quality Control manuals to the Consultant for review.
The Module Supplier will accept and accommodate requests with 48 (forty-eight) hours advance written notice for independent monitoring of the production of PV modules for Purchaser conducted by the Consultant using independent quality engineers/inspectors at any time during production of PV modules for the Purchaser.
The Module Supplier will provide a production plan prior to production start and will send updates to the plan within twenty-four (24) hours of any changes to the plan being made by the Module Supplier. The plan will indicate which APPROVED WORKSHOPs (i.e., workshops already agreed and audited by the Consultant for the Purchase Order) are to be used for each production shift and the expected quantity of modules to be produced during each shift.
The Consultant may conduct Production Monitoring during any shift in any APPROVED WORKSHOPS while production of PV modules is taking place for the Purchaser that is duly arranged with the Module Supplier.
The Module Supplier will provide the independent quality engineers/inspectors with supervised access to the module production and warehousing facilities including material storage, incoming quality control (IQC), material preparation, assembly, inspection, testing and outgoing quality control (OQC) areas during production of PV modules for the Purchaser.
The Module Supplier will provide the following documents to the Purchaser and the Consultant at least thirty (30) calendar days before the start of production of PV modules:
Quality control plan for the manufacturing site
Drawings showing all marking and labelling applied to each module
Drawings showing the cable polarity of the module
Drawings showing the location and size of each grounding hole in the frame
Drawings showing the location and size of drainage holes in the frame
Physical sample of the nameplate label
Description of the serialization scheme and physical sample of the serial number label
If applicable: physical sample of RFID tag including fed dataset as required by Purchaser
Detailed production plan per workshop involved in the manufacturing of the PV modules
The Module Supplier will provide the following documents to the Consultant on-site at the manufacturing facility:
Layout of the APPROVED WORKSHOPS
Production flow chart for the APPROVED WORKSHOPS
List of major manufacturing equipments used in the APPROVED WORKSHOPS
Production Monitoring will primarily include observation and witnessing of the following processes by the Consultant:
Incoming quality controls (IQC) – including inspection and sample testing
Conformance to the specified, IEC compliant bill of materials (BoM)
Equipment maintenance and calibration
All key material, process, production and environmental controls, and the control of hazardous wastes
Final quality controls (FQC) including flash testing, electroluminescence (EL) imaging, visual inspection, hi-potential and ground-continuity testing
The Consultant will check the Module Supplier’s applied processes, procedures, and inspections against the Module Supplier ’s standard operating procedures and verify compliance.
The Module Supplier’s own standard operating procedures must be updated to include any changes resulting from corrective actions taken as part of the pre-production technical diligence. The Module Supplier‘s performance during production will be checked against these changes.
Any significant deviations in processes, procedures or inspections which may negatively impact the quality, reliability and performance of the PV modules will be identified and reported by the Consultant to the Purchaser for corrective action(s). The Consultant shall stop the production until the corrective actions are implemented, in case the deviations critically affect the quality, reliability and performance of the PV modules.
The following factors and criteria shall be the basis for rejection:
Un-soldered or poorly soldered joints between and on solar cells observed in more than 1% of the modules produced per shift;
Insufficient monitoring and calibration of cell soldering temperature in more than 10% of the soldering stations per shift (tabber-stringers or manual soldering);
Weaknesses in cell soldering pull strength testing observed in more than 10% of the cells tested per shift;
Bending of cells in excess of 2mm observed in more than 1% of the modules produced per shift;
Inaccurate placement of materials during lay-up in more than 1% of modules produced per shift;
Insufficient coverage of the glass by encapsulant and back-skin materials in more than 1% of modules produced per shift;
Insufficient control, monitoring and calibration of lamination temperature in more than 5% of the laminators per shift;
Inadequate gel content testing affecting more than 5% of the produced volume per week;
Weaknesses in flash tester calibration and control observed in more than 10% of the flash testers per shift;
Climatic controls within the APPROVED WORKSHOPs and storage areas outside specification for more than twenty-four (24) hours;
Materials with expired shelf-life used for production without requalification testing for more than one shift;
Contamination of equipment and materials left uncorrected for more than one shift;
Inadequate sealing of the frame profile around the laminate in more than 1% of produced modules per shift;
Poor alignment and attachment of terminal ribbons inside the junction box affecting more than 1% of produced modules per shift;
Insufficient controls for curing time and temperature and measurement tools that are not calibrated or calibration has expired for more than one shift.
In the event that non-compliance occurs, the Consultant, on behalf of the Purchaser, shall also require the Module Supplier to either undertake corrective action while production continues, quarantine potentially affected products for additional testing, request a stop of production until the deviation is corrected and/or affected products are rejected.

Any delays in deliveries caused by the need for the Module Supplier to undertake corrective action, quarantine potentially affected modules for additional testing or for halted production while deviations are corrected or produce replacement modules are the Module Supplier’s responsibility and do not relieve the Module Supplier from any other responsibility or obligation under this Agreement.

Pre-Shipment Inspection and Testing

All modules from each batch (approx. 10MWp) being inspected must be quarantined at the Module Supplier’s facility during Pre-shipment Inspection and Testing. Once the samples have successfully passed Pre-shipment Inspection and Testing, the quarantined modules shall be released for shipment.

Pre-Shipment Inspection

The following requirements will apply to all modules ordered by the Purchaser from the Module Supplier:

Pre-shipment Inspection will be performed in batches and each batch shall contain the required quantity of modules for approx. 10 MWp (from the same production site and being based on the same set of certified BOMs).
Pre-Shipment Inspection will consist of the following tests conducted on the Module Supplier’s own and correctly calibrated equipment using the Module Supplier’s handling resources. The Consultant will conduct/witness the Pre-shipment Inspection.
1. Visual inspection:
- Sampling rate: Special Inspection Level 4 (S-4), according to ISO 2859-1:1999(EN)
Test procedure: IEC 61215:2021
Defect catalogue of visual inspection from Module Supplier shall be used, which will be reviewed and updated.
Pass criteria: Critical defects - AQL 0.25; Major defects – 1.5; Minor defects - 2.5
1. Electro-Luminescence (EL) analysis:
- Sampling rate: Special Inspection Level 4 (S-4), according to ISO 2859-1:1999(EN)
- Test procedure:
Environment: darkened room with module temperature maintained between 20ºC - 30 ºC
Resolution: Image capture device shall have a minimum resolution of at least 8 Megapixels
Defect catalogue of EL analysis from Module Supplier shall be used, which will be reviewed and updated
Pass criteria: Critical defects - AQL 0.25; Major defects – 1.5; Minor defects - 2.5
1. Flash testing at STC:
- Sampling rate: Special Inspection Level 4 (S-4), according to ISO 2859-1:1999(EN)
Test procedure: IEC 61215:2021 for standard modules and IEC 60904-1-2:2019 for bifacial modules
Pass criteria: Following conditions must be met by each tested sample.
- - IV curve. No steps higher than 200mA.
  - Fill Factor > 70%
  - Pmeasured ≥ 2 + PNameplate capacity * (1 - |Lab uncertainty| )
1. Wet leakage current test:
- Sampling rate: Special Inspection Level 4 (S-4), according to ISO 2859-1:1999(EN)
Test procedure: IEC 61215:2021
Pass criteria: greater than 40 MΩ.m² in insulation resistance
If the pass criteria of Visual inspection and EL analysis are successfully met, the batch shall be accepted and modules with major/minor defects will be replaced.
For visual inspection, EL analysis and Wet leakage current test, if pass criteria of a test or a combination of tests is not successfully met, then the Consultant shall re-inspect a second set of samples (at Module Supplier’s costs) which will be selected from the same batch, and the Module Supplier shall provide a root-cause analysis for the sample failure in the first test(s). If the samples fail again and/or the root-cause analysis of sample failure in the first test(s) shows a serial defect, the batch will be rejected and replaced by a new batch, or at the Purchaser’s election, there shall be a price adjustment.
There is no re-inspection for flash test at STC.
The Purchaser will not be obligated to accept or pay for any modules from the batch until the modules are rebuilt and successfully pass re-inspection.

Pre-Shipment Testing

Similar to Pre-shipment Inspection, Pre-shipment Testing will also be performed in batches and each batch shall contain the required quantity of modules for approx. 10 MWp (from the same production site and being based on the same set of certified BOMs).
The Consultant will randomly choose sample modules from each batch with sampling rate as described per test. All the selected modules will be tested in the third-party testing laboratory (ISO/IEC 17025 accredited) of the Consultant or its partner.
The Module Supplier will bear the costs of the modules that will be used during the destructive testing.
The following tests shall be conducted during Pre-Shipment Testing:

Lamination peel test (for Single glass modules)

Sampling rate: 2 modules / BOM / batch
Test procedure: IEC 61730-2
Pass criteria: Peel strength ≥ 80 N/cm at Encapsulant/Glass interface and ≥ 80 N/cm Encapsulant/backsheet interface

Encapsulant gel content determination (THF extraction method; for Single glass modules)

Sampling rate: 2 modules / BOM / batch
Test procedure: IEC 62788-1-6 and ASTM D-2765
Pass criteria: Gel content ≥ 75%

PID Test

Sampling rate: 4 modules / BOM / batch (2 samples at positive bias, 2 samples at negative bias)
Test procedure: IEC TS 62804-1:2015
Pass criteria: Power degradation for each tested module ≤ 3%

LID test (Indoor; for minimum exposure of at least 10 kWh/m2 or until samples are stabilized)

Sampling rate: 4 modules / BOM / batch
Test procedure: IEC 61215:2016
Pass criteria: Power degradation for each tested module ≤ 2% (for P-type module) and ≤ 0.5% (for N-type module)

Low light behavior at 200 W/m2 and 400 W/m2

Sampling rate: 4 modules / BOM / batch
Test procedure: IEC 60904
Pass criteria: Relative efficiency losses for each tested module ≤ 5% at 200 W/m2 and ≤ 2.5% at 400 W/m2, compared to STCefficiency.

LeTID test

Sampling rate: 4 modules / BOM / batch
Test procedure: IEC TS 63342:2022
Pass criteria: Power degradation for each tested module ≤ 3% (for P-type module) and ≤ 1.5% (for N-type module)

Bifaciality factor determination:

Sampling rate: 4 modules / BOM / batch
Test procedure: IEC TS 60904-1-2:2019
Pass criteria: As per datasheet with tolerance considered
If one sample fails a test or a combination of tests in Pre-shipment Testing, then the Consultant shall re-inspect a second set of samples (at Module Supplier’s costs) which will be selected from the same batch, double quantity as used for each first test, and the Module Supplier shall provide a root-cause analysis for the sample failure in the first test. If the samples fail again and/or the root-cause analysis of sample failure in the first test shows a serial defect, the batch will be rejected and replaced by a new batch, or at the Purchaser’s election, there shall be a price adjustment.
For Double-glass modules, Lamination peel test and Encapsulant gel content determination test shall be performed by the Module Supplier with the special samples (sample quantity is the same as specified above), during each shift of module production for the Purchaser, and these tests shall be monitored by the Consultant during Production Monitoring.
The Purchaser will not be obligated to accept or pay for any modules from the batch until the modules are rebuilt and successfully pass re-inspection.

Defect catalogues

Modules inspected are defined in two categories:
Grade A: modules that meet the target criteria
Non-conforming: modules that do not meet Grade A criteria
Defect classification

Defects detected during inspection are classified in three different categories as follows:

Critical (Cr): A latent or overt defect that is likely to result in a hazardous or unsafe condition for the individual using the module, contravenes mandatory regulations and/or may cause damage to other products or property.
Major (Ma): A latent or overt defect that could impair the usability or result in under-performance or premature failure of the module.
Minor (Mi): A latent or overt defect that does not impair the usability of the PV module, but is nevertheless considered a workmanship defect beyond normal, acceptable quality standards. This includes obvious visual defects that may cause customer acceptance issues.

All inspected modules with major or minor defects will be rejected and replaced by the Module Supplier with replacement modules that must be inspected and shown to have no critical or major defects before being released.

Inspection tools: The tools used to perform the inspection, including all measurements, shall have a precision of more than 1/50 of the value to be measured.

On-site inspection

When the PV modules arrive on the project site, the Consultant will perform on-site inspection on the modules (pre-installation and post-installation), which can include, but not limited to, Visual inspection, EL imaging and flash test.

Visual inspection, EL imaging and flash test shall be done according to the procedure and criteria specified in 5.3 - Pre-Shipment Inspection and Testing.

In case any non-conformities are identified, the Purchaser will notify the Module Supplier and use the agreed upon claim process.

The sampling rate shall be based on an agreed upon General Inspection Level G-1 for each batch of approx. 10 MWp, according to ISO 2859-1:1999 (EN).
Based on ISO 2859-1:1999 (EN), Acceptable Quality Limits per batch are defined as follows:
Critical Defects: AQL 0.25
Major Defects: AQL 2.5
Minor Defects: AQL 4.0

RFP Appendix 1.3 - PV Module - Quality Assurance.docx

Purpose