ASTM_E_1799_-_12.pdf

Designation:E179912Standard Practice forVisual Inspections of Photovoltaic Modules1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E1799;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This practice covers procedures and criteria for visualinspections of photovoltaic modules.1.2 Visual inspections of photovoltaic modules are normallyperformed before and after modules have been subjected toenvironmental,electrical,or mechanical stress testing,such asthermal cycling,humidity-freeze cycling,damp heat exposure,ultraviolet exposure,mechanical loading,hail impact testing,outdoor exposure,or other stress testing that may be part ofphotovoltaic module testing sequence.1.3 This practice does not establish pass or fail levels.Thedetermination of acceptable or unacceptable results is beyondthe scope of this practice.1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E772 Terminology of Solar Energy Conversion3.Terminology3.1 Definitions Definitions of terms used in this practicemay be found in Terminology E772.4.Significance and Use4.1 Environmental stress tests,such as those listed in 1.2,are normally used to evaluate module designs prior to produc-tion or purchase.These test methods rely on performingelectrical tests and visual inspections of modules before andafter stress testing to determine the effects of the exposures.4.2 Effects of environmental stress testing may vary from noeffects to significant changes.Some physical changes in themodule may be visible when there are no measurable electricalchanges.Similarly,electrical changes in the module may occurwith no visible changes.4.3 It is the intent of this practice to provide a recognizedprocedure for performing visual inspections and to specifyeffects that should be reported.4.4 Many of these effects are subjective.In order to deter-mine if a module has passed a visual inspection,the user of thispractice must specify what changes or conditions are accept-able.The user may have to judge whether changes noted duringan inspection will limit the useful life of a module design.5.Procedure5.1 Pre-Test InspectionInspections performed prior to anyenvironmental stress tests must document the module conditionso that any changes that occur during testing can be identifiedduring the post-test inspection.5.1.1 Visually inspect each module to determine the pres-ence or absence of anomalies or defects.Optical magnificationis not required.Such anomalies or defects should include,butare not limited to:5.1.1.1 Shipping damage,5.1.1.2 Poor workmanship,5.1.1.3 Defects in mounting brackets or structures,5.1.1.4 Cracking,shrinkage,distortion,or tacky surfaces ofpolymeric materials,5.1.1.5 Failure of adhesive bonding,5.1.1.6 Bubbles or delamination of encapsulant materials,5.1.1.7 Presence of foreign material,5.1.1.8 Corrosion of fasteners,mechanical members,orelectrical circuit elements,5.1.1.9 Voids in or corrosion of any thin-film photovoltaiclayers,5.1.1.10 Discolorationofsuperstrateencapsulatingmaterials,5.1.1.11 Discoloration of active photovoltaic elements,5.1.1.12 Broken,cracked,etched,scratched,wrinkled,ortorn external surfaces,5.1.1.13 Broken or cracked active photovoltaic elements,5.1.1.14 Broken,cracked,orfaultyelectricalinterconnections,1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E44 on Solar,Geothermal and OtherAlternative Energy Sources and is the direct responsibility ofSubcommittee E44.09 on Photovoltaic Electric Power Conversion.Current edition approved Dec.1,2012.Published December 2012.Originallyapproved in 1996.Last previous edition approved in 2008 as E179908.DOI:10.1520/E1799-12.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 5.1.1.15 Cracked or damaged structural elements,5.1.1.16 A photovoltaic cell touching another cell or themodule frame,5.1.1.17 Electrical terminals not bonded to the module orthe module junction box,5.1.1.18 Missing,peeling,or damaged metal layers on cellsurfaces,and5.1.1.19 Any additional anomalies or defects specified bythe user of this practice that are evident.5.1.2 Record the results of the visual inspection so that anychanges that occur during subsequent testing can be identified.These records may be any co