In the beginning of this century the solar panel industry in India started to develop quickly. This process was accelerated by the Indian government, which was increasing their promotion for renewable energy. In 2010 the national Solar Mission was launched by the Indian government and ambitious goals were set for PV manufacturing. Currently about 3% of all PV modules worldwide are being produced in India. Vietnam is also a top-10 PV module producer, manufacturing approximately 1% of the global market. The Vietnamese solar industry was initiated by installing solar water heaters in remote areas. After foreign solar technology investors were allowed to enter the market, the production capacity increased rapidly. The Philipines boosted their renewable energy industry by installing the Renewable Energy Act in 2008. The fact that the governement of The Philipines is aiming to get 35% of their local energy mix from renewable energy sources by 2030, is accelerating the growth of the local PV manufacturing industry. In Malaysia many international PV manufacturers have established production facilities, boosting the solar industry in the country. The same goes for Thailand, making it also a significant player in the global solar supply chain.

The prevention or timely detection of poor or underperforming PV modules has some very important benefits for the PV modules in your upcoming power plant:

1. Increase Pmax from day 1
2. Lower degradation rate
3. Less and later incidental failures
4. Longer effective lifespan
   

The payback period of a factory inspection for PV modules from India, Vietnam and the rest of South-East Asia is usually less than 1 year. A complete factory inspection consists of a number of components, but it is also possible to make a selection from these:

1. Audit PV production plant
2. Inline Production supervision
3. EL review
4. Third Party Lab testing
5. Pre-shipment inspection PV modules
6. Truck Loading inspection
7. Possible to do a Site Acceptance Test (SAT) in the ports of Rotterdam and Valencia before customs

During an audit of the PV plant, the entire production process is being analyzed in order to determine production readiness and weakest links. A QAP/QCP will be installed with control points and tests. QMS will imply actual ISO implementation. The equipment will be calibrated and all key materials will be sample tested.

During the inline PV production supervision stage, the BOM will be verified. Risks will be identified from serial defects (red flagged) and EL images will be reviewed during production. The PV modules will be tested in house as well as by a third party lab.

The PV modules to be shipped are randomly tested according to ISO 2859-1 on the basis of visual inspection, safety inspection (high voltage no short circuit), EL testing and Flash testing. Thanks to these tests, several problems can be prevented, from so-called microcracks in the solar panel to pv soldering defects and other problems.

The Eternal Sun group together with its companies OdinSpire, Spire Ibera is able to provide a Site Acceptance Test (SAT) in the ports of Valencia and Rotterdam. In the harbor of Rotterdam alone about 80% of all PV modules destined for the European market pass through. A Site Acceptance Test in the harbor prior to passing the Dutch customs can save a lot of time and issues as there has not been a change of ownership yet.