PHOTON INVERTER TEST

The inverter is the heart of each photovoltaic system. The PHOTON Test Lab has been testing the operation, reliability and efficiency of inverters and giving the devices grades between »A++« and »E«. This makes it clear at first sight if a device any good or not.

Particularly in the US, system operators and installers wish for more transparency. Starting in 2012, PHOTON Lab will test inverters based on established test procedures and publish product reviews in the US magazine »PHOTON – The Photovoltaic Magazine« monthly.

Reviewing inverters: It’s so easy

Step 1: Register

• Please send an Email with your contact information and the data sheet of the device to be tested to Ms. Wiebke Gottschalk (wiebke.gottschalk@photon.info).
• As soon as you receive confirmation that a test of the inverter is technically possible, please send us a list of at least 100 consecutive and randomly selected serial numbers of the desired product type. We will then select a device at random and send you the serial number.
• Please send the device with the selected serial number in original condition to: PHOTON Laboratory GmbH, c/o Wiebke Gottschalk, Jülicher Straße 378, 52070 Aachen (Germany). Please enclose the original order form in your delivery.
• So that the test can be performed as soon as possible, we ask that you give us a copy of the contract and the delivery date for the inverter which you have arranged with your forwarder in advance.

Step 2: Measurement

The test of an inverter takes approximately two weeks. The start date for measurement depends on the order backlog and the number devices on hand.

Step 3: Grading

After the measurement is completed, you will receive a lab report via Email with the results of the evaluation as well as the grade for the device. The result will be published a few weeks later in the US magazine »PHOTON – The Photovoltaic Magazine«.