Set of protocols for overall testing for CPV

The success of a new CPV prototype depends on modules quality and assembly compliance with existing Standards, such as IEC 62108, 62670, 62787, and others still under development/approval for performance evaluation. The overall CPV system reliability is based on the quality of the subcomponents such as the optics, the cells, the electronics and the assembly of the whole system, but there is a dramatic lack of technical specifications for new prototypes to comply with. The Italian project SCOOP (SOLAR CONCENTRATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS) was aimed at developing an Italian network of laboratories and industrial facilities to enter the CPV market. The project, funded by the Ministry of Industry, started in 2009 and ended at the end of 2013. SCOOP addressed the development of solar cells, optical systems and inverters, to be used in four different CPV prototypes. The development of a network of laboratories specialized to test, verify and check components such as plastic materials, optics, cells, electronics and module/assembly at prototype and industrial scale has been one of the main targets of the project. Within the project a set of protocols for the testing of subcomponents, components, modules and the final systems have been defined and validated.