TUV Rheinland Group has joined forces with Arizona State University (ASU) to create TUV Rheinland PTL, LLC, a state-of-the-art facility for testing and certification of solar energy equipment.
The collaboration combines the reputation, technological and management expertise of TUV Rheinland with Arizona State University's more than 50 years of research on solar energy and extensive solar testing knowledge.
ASU's Photovoltaic Testing Laboratory (PTL), established in 1992, has long been the only lab in the US accredited for photovoltaic (PV) design qualification and type approval.
ASU's legal involvement in this venture was made possible by Arizona Technology Enterprises and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Commercial PTL Ventures.
TUV Rheinland's collaboration will connect ASU's PTL facility to the company's global network.
The new company expands PTL's testing capabilities in both volume and scope by adding state-of-the-art test equipment and the capacity to test and certify PV panels and electrical components for Europe, Asia, and North America.
PTL, in turn, provides TUV Rheinland with its university knowledge base, immediate entry to the US solar testing market, and the lab's experience testing PV panels in both simulated and real outdoor environments.
Central Arizona receives an average of 325 days of sunshine annually.
Further leveraging the industry impact of TUV Rheinland PTL, LLC is a collaboration between the new company and Arizona's largest electric provider, Arizona Public Service (APS).
The utility will provide five acres of outdoor testing space at its Solar Test and Research (STAR) Center for use by the venture to conduct outdoor endurance testing.
The STAR Center, was established in 1985 and is used in the commercial development and proof of operation for emerging solar energy technologies, including Dish-Stirling arrays, high concentration PV systems and solar tracking systems.
TUV Rheinland will be the principal investor in the new company and will develop a new facility near ASU's Tempe campus equipped with the latest test technologies and equipment.
Stephan Schmitt, president and chief executive officer, TUV Rheinland North America holding, said: 'The potent combination of business, university, and utility solar test assets will enable TUV Rheinland PTL, LLC to offer full-scale PV testing and certification across the entire component chain of photovoltaic systems.' In addition to the venture's worldwide implications, the new testing facility is expected to produce local economic impacts by attracting solar energy manufacturers and entrepreneurs to Arizona, boosting the state's solar energy credentials and increasing employment in the solar energy industry.
Michael Crow, president of ASU, said: 'Joining the business acumen of a top international testing firm with the capabilities of a major research university and the solar-energy knowledge of APS is a strategic move that will have significant payoffs for renewable energy users worldwide and for the world's climate.' 'From our plans to build Solana, one of the world's largest solar power plants, to making solar roof-top systems more affordable for customers, APS is dedicated to making Arizona the solar capital of the world,' said Bill Post, chairman of Pinnacle West Capital.
'The work to be done at the STAR Center by ASU and TUV Rheinland will help Arizona achieve that goal and will create long-term value for our customers, our state and our industry.' The new joint venture was assembled and coordinated with the help of ASU's Global Institute of Sustainability (GIOS), which oversees sustainability initiatives in research, education and application at the university.
Expansion of the solar-energy industry and the use of solar energy is an economic priority of Arizona and its governor, Janet Napolitano, and also Science Foundation Arizona.
