UL forms landmark alliance with State Grid Electric Power Research Institute of China

NANJING, CHINA: Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a global leader in product safety testing and certification services, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with State Grid Electric Power Research Institute of China (SGEPRI) to advance research and development in China's renewable energy and power distribution industries.

According to the agreement, UL will work with SGEPRI to conduct necessary research and help support the advancement of photovoltaic technologies and power distribution, including inverters and converters. The premier organizations will also partner to help pursue and advance standards development practices throughout China while providing training to industry on safety certification, components testing, and equipment calibration and measurement.

"Underwriters Laboratories understands that safety and reliability issues play a critical role in the way renewable energy systems perform and ultimately influence the continued development of renewable energy," said Weifang Zhou, vice president and general manager, UL Greater China.

"UL is honored to share our experience in standards development and product safety testing with SGEPRI, and to help advance renewable energy technology in China. Collaborating with a leading Chinese institute within the power industry, allows UL to participate in the effort of developing China's renewable energy and provide technical support to local PV inverter manufacturers."

China is developing its renewable energy infrastructure rapidly and ranks number one on installed capacity of hydropower, solar water heater collector area and photovoltaic power generation capacity. In 2007, the Chinese government mandated that at least 10 percent of its energy capacity be generated from wind, solar and other renewable energy sources, and this number will reach 15 percent by 2010, proving the potential of the China renewable energy industry. The Renewable Energy Law of PRC (Amendment), adopted in December 2009, further stresses this ration.

"The application of renewable energy in China is coming to a critical point, so determining how to safely connect photovoltaic (PV) systems to the grid is critical for China," said Yi Hu, vice president, SGEPRI.

"By leveraging UL's expertise in product testing and standards development, SGEPRI can further solidify our role as China's primary scientific research and development organization for power grid connections. The alliance gives us the tools we need to develop and achieve a set of world-class standards, testing capabilities and technical evaluation for power grid connections of renewable energy, and paves the way for the application of new and clean energy in China."

Authorized by National Energy Administration, SGEPRI will establish a National Solar Energy R&D Center, and undertake responsibilities including standards development, testing capabilities, technical evaluation & certification, and training.