Underwriters Laboratories Expands Its Global Photovoltaic Footprint to Japan

    
    New PV laboratory in Japan offers full portfolio of services and enables
    manufacturers to speed up their time to market





    
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<p>NORTHBROOK, Ill., <span class="xn-chron">Sept. 9</span>  /PRNewswire/ -- Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a global leader in safety testing and certification, announced today the opening of a testing and certification facility for photovoltaic (PV) equipment in Ise City, Mie Prefecture, <span class="xn-location">Japan</span>. In addition to offering performance and safety testing services for PV equipment in <span class="xn-location">Japan</span>, the facility will provide technical support to Japanese PV equipment manufacturers as they develop their businesses and enter overseas markets.</p>
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<p>The global demand for sustainable energy generating sources, such as PV systems, has increased. The governments of the U.S. and <span class="xn-location">Japan</span>, as well as market-leading <span class="xn-location">Germany</span>, continue to take proactive steps to develop the PV market and accelerate PV equipment production. In <span class="xn-location">Japan</span> the government's roadmap for reaching greenhouse gas reduction targets includes a national policy to expand the reach of PV power generation to 10 million households by 2020, which constitutes a 21-fold increase compared with 2005.</p>
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<p>PV systems, which consist of PV modules and panels, junction boxes, inverters and power converters, are permanently installed on roofs or ground-supported frames and thus are prone to degradation due to wind, rain, hail and age. Accordingly, improving the safety and verifying performance of PV systems is critical for them to receive widespread adoption.</p>
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<p>UL has been engaged in formulating PV equipment safety specifications and standards since the 1980s, and has contributed to the safe operation of PV equipment by providing safety testing and certification services for PV equipment manufacturers worldwide. "We continue to expand our service capabilities to meet the recent increase in global demand for PV product evaluation services," said <span class="xn-person">Jeff Smidt</span>, Vice President and General Manager for UL's Global Energy business. Just within the last couple of years, UL has opened PV testing facilities similar to the new Ise City facility, in <span class="xn-location">San Jose</span>, California, U.S.; Suzhou, <span class="xn-location">China</span>; and Zeppelinheim, Neu-Isenburg, <span class="xn-location">Germany</span>. "With further plans to open a testing facility in <span class="xn-location">India</span>, UL is implementing a concrete, large-scale investment plan in <span class="xn-location">North America</span>, Asia, and <span class="xn-location">Europe</span>, which are the world's largest PV markets," Smidt added.</p>
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<p>The new PV testing facility in Ise City has 14 cutting-edge testing chambers on a 2,000 square-meter (approx. 21,000 square-feet) site. It is fully equipped with solar simulators emitting artificial sunlight, impact testers (which test the durability of a device against physical impact) and hail testers. Moreover, to meet strict testing requirements, the facility is staffed by engineers and technicians with expert knowledge of PV testing work. To learn more about the new facility, visit: <a href="http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/offerings/industries/energy/renewable/photovo">http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/offerings/industries/energy/renewable/photovo</a> ltaics/labs/.</p>
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<p>For more information on UL's PV services, visit: <a href="http://www.ul.com/dge/photovoltaics/">http://www.ul.com/dge/photovoltaics/</a>.</p>
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    About Underwriters Laboratories
    
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<p>UL is an independent product safety certification organization that has been testing products and writing Standards for Safety for more than a century. UL evaluates more than 19,000 types of products, components, materials and systems from more than 66,000 manufacturers each year. In total, there are more than 20 billion UL Marks appearing on products worldwide. UL's global family of companies and network of service providers includes 68 laboratory, testing and certification facilities serving customers in 102 countries. For more information, visit: <a href="http://www.ul.com">http://www.ul.com</a>.</p>
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For further information: Yassie Dunn of UL Global Corporate Communications, [phone], [email protected]; or Brooke Albert of GolinHarris, [phone], [email protected], for UL Web Site: http://www.ul.com