Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a global leader in safety testing and certification, announced on September 9th the opening of a testing and certification facility for photovoltaic (PV) equipment in Ise City, Mie Prefecture, Japan. In addition to offering performance and safety testing services for PV equipment in Japan, the facility will provide technical support to Japanese PV equipment manufacturers as they develop their businesses and enter overseas markets.

The global demand for sustainable energy generating sources, such as PV systems, has increased. The governments of the U.S. and Japan, as well as market-leading Germany, continue to take proactive steps to develop the PV market and accelerate PV equipment production. In Japan the government’s road-map for reaching greenhouse gas reduction targets includes a national policy to expand the reach of PV power generation to 10 million households by 2020, which constitutes a 21-fold increase compared with 2005.

PV systems, which consist of PV modules and panels, junction boxes, inverters and power converters, are permanently installed on roofs or ground-supported frames and thus are prone to degradation due to wind, rain, hail, as well as age. Accordingly, improving the safety and verifying performance of PV systems is critical for them to receive widespread adoption.

UL has been engaged in formulating PV equipment safety specifications and standards since the 1980s, and has contributed to the safe operation of PV equipment by providing safety testing and certification services for PV equipment manufacturers worldwide. “We continue to expand our service capabilities to meet the recent increase in global demand for PV product evaluation services,” said Jeff Smidt, Vice President and General Manager for UL’s Global Energy business. Just within the last couple of years, UL has opened PV testing facilities similar to the new Ise City facility, in San Jose, California, U.S.; Suzhou, China; and Zeppelinheim, Neu-Isenburg, Germany. “With further plans to open a testing facility in India, UL is implementing a concrete, large-scale investment plan in North America, Asia, and Europe, which are the world’s largest PV markets,” Smidt added.

The new PV testing facility in Ise City has 14 cutting-edge testing chambers on a 2,000 square-meter (approx. 21,000 square-feet) site. It is fully equipped with solar simulators emitting artificial sunlight, impact testers (which test the durability of a device against physical impact) and hail testers. Moreover, to meet strict testing requirements, the facility is staffed by engineers and technicians with expert knowledge of PV testing work. (source ul.com)

UL is the trusted resource across the globe for product safety certification and compliance solutions. Benefiting a range of customers – from manufacturers and consumers to regulatory bodies and code officials – they have tested products for public safety for more than a century.

Major corporate players in the Corridor include G.E. Power Systems, Harris Corporation, Jabil Circuit, Mitsubishi Power Systems, Raytheon Systems Co. and Siemens Westinghouse Power Corp., among others.  Even more significant are the small companies and start-ups throughout the 23-county region developing revolutionary advancements in the field.  UF spin-out, Sinmat (http://www.sinmat.com) is applying the company’s tested methods to make robust, resilient semiconductors, while Planar Energy Devices (http://www.planarenergy.com) in Orlando is creating next generation batteries that are lighter, more durable and longer-lasting.  Both have taken advantage of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council’s Matching Grants Research Program to advance their technologies.

The partnerships forged by these companies and institutions create a dynamic atmosphere for progress in the Corridor’s microelectronics and nanotechnology sector.

About The Florida High Tech Corridor Council:
The Florida High Tech Corridor Council was established by the Legislature in 1996 to attract, retain and grow high tech industry and to help develop the workforce to support those industries in the 21-county service areas of the University of Central Florida and the University of South Florida. In January 2005, the Council welcomed the University of Florida as a full partner of this unique economic development initiative, merging the strengths of three world-class universities and bringing the number of Corridor counties to 23.

The Corridor Council is a partnership involving more than 20 local and regional economic development organizations (EDOs) and 14 community colleges serving the 23-county region. The Council itself is made-up of the presidents of the three state universities, the presidents of two of the community colleges who serve on a rotating basis, the president of the Florida Institute of Technology, and up to 24 representatives of high tech industry. Those partnerships have resulted in a strategic approach to high tech economic development that involves matching funds research, workforce development, cultivation of technology communities and a marketing program leveraging governmental, EDO, and corporate budgets on a regional rather than local basis.

Corridor partners cooperate to identify and initiate pro-industry legislative and tax incentives, develop and provide innovative credit and non-credit training programs, and invest in infrastructure-building projects to increase Florida’s strength as a nationally-recognized, high-technology region. Since 1996, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council has partnered with more than 250 companies on 800 research projects. The Council’s investment of more than $50 million has contributed to more than $170 million in total research that has been used to retain more than 1,500 graduate and doctoral students.

The high technology focus areas of the Council are based on key strengths of the universities, and include:

• Agrictechnology
• Aviation & Aerospace
• Biotechnology
• Digital Media & Interactive Entertainment
• Financial Services
• Information Technology
• Life Sciences & Medical Technologies
• Manufacturing Design
• Marine Technologies
• Microelectronics & Nanotechnology
• Modeling, Simulation & Training
• Optics & Photonics
• Sustainable Energy
• Telecommunications