AUO's solar reliability lab certified by UL witness test data program

HSINCHU, TAIWAN: AU Optronics Corp. announced that its PV QRA Lab in Taichung officially acquired the UL Witness Test Data Program (UL WTDP) lab certification. The company's lab is the first in Taiwan with four certification marks for professional testing (IEC 61215, IEC 61646, IEC 61730 and UL 1703).

UL WTDP is the Witnessed Test Data Program conducted by UL, a global leader for product safety testing and certification. Having passed the assessment of UL WTDP, manufacturers could then have tests conducted at the certified test facilities under the supervision of UL personnel. This allows schedules to be easily maintained and information reviewed readily on-site.

As it is necessary for solar-related components and modules to achieve at least 25 years of power performance, AUO has invested around $3 million when entering the solar business to set up a reliability lab for the testing of product function and durability under extreme weather conditions.

"We are glad that AUO's solar reliability lab acquired the UL WTDP lab certification, proving the Company's professional capabilities in solar product testing," said James C.P. Chen, senior associate VP of Solar Photovoltaic Business Unit.

"The lab will be able to conduct over 33 kinds of tests, all conforming to UL and IEC regulations. This demonstrates that AUO owns world-class testing capabilities, equipment and lab," he added.

Having become a UL WTDP certified lab, AUO will be able to perform certification tests including UL1703, IEC 61215, IEC 61646 and IEC 61730. The difficulties in transporting large-sized solar products will also be overcome, as the products could then be sent to the certified professional testing facilities. More time would be saved in terms of scheduling, transportation and testing. Risks and cost are reduced as well during the transportation of the samples. In addition, complete testing information could be collected readily on-site for further analysis.

The professional personnel and testing facilities at AUO's solar reliability lab serve not only the Company to accelerate its R&D process, but also customers who will be able to enjoy the efficient and convenient services.