ACS (Angelantoni Test Technologies) has installed two walk-in environmental test chambers at the Cologne laboratory of TÜV Rheinland Solar GmbH, which has chosen ACS as a partner for photovoltaic (PV) module testing. THP Systems represents ACS in the UK, and the installation is a good reference for anyone planning climatic testing of solar modules.
The chambers
TÜV Rheinland Solar is using two ACS WZH21-70150 walk-in chambers, each with a volume of 21 m³. They allow temperature cycling and climatic testing of PV modules under extreme conditions. Key specifications include:
- Temperature range from -70 °C to +150 °C
- Humidity from 10% to 95% RH between +10 °C and +90 °C
- Test load of up to 1,000 kg of PV modules
- Internal dimensions (W × D × H) of 2,200 × 3,700 × 2,600 mm
Tests covered
The chambers were specified to meet a long list of PV test requirements, including:
- IEC 61215-2:2021: thermal cycling (MQT 11), humidity-freeze (MQT 12), damp heat (MQT 13) and potential induced degradation (MQT 21)
- IEC 61730-2:2023: material creep (MST 37), bypass diode tests (MST 25), cold conditioning (MST 55) and dry heat conditioning (MST 56)
- 2 PfG 2689:2021-09: light and elevated temperature induced degradation (LeTID)
TÜV Rheinland Solar has more than 40 years of experience in the solar industry and develops testing and inspection procedures tailored to its customers’ requirements.
Why the specification matters
PV qualification sequences are long, and many modules have to be conditioned at the same time to keep test programmes moving. A walk-in volume of 21 m³ with a load capacity of 1,000 kg lets a laboratory run batches of full-size modules together, while the wide temperature and humidity envelope covers thermal cycling, humidity-freeze and damp heat sequences in the same chamber. Having two identical chambers also gives the laboratory flexibility to run different sequences in parallel.
PV and climatic testing in the UK
For UK test houses, manufacturers and research groups working on solar modules, THP supplies the full ACS range, including walk-in chambers, dedicated photovoltaic panel test chambers and solar simulation chambers. For smaller samples and components, the CST climatic chambers and Discovery My range are also available. More principal updates are in our news section.
Source: ACS
To discuss chamber options for PV module testing, please contact the THP team.
