02/02-10   -   Press releases

underwriters LABORATORIES EXPANDS global photovoltaic footprint TO china

In Response to Growing Demand, Photovoltaic Testing Leader, UL, Announces New Facility in Suzhou, China

Underwriters Laboratories, a world leader in product safety testing and certification, announced today the expansion of its global photovoltaic testing services to Suzhou, China, where it will open a Photovoltaic Technology Center of Excellence. The new facility will be the largest photovoltaic testing laboratory in Greater China and have the capability to test to both UL and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Standards. This announcement marks yet another step in UL’s ongoing commitment to the development of safe renewable energy equipment.

The new 400-square-meter testing facility, the largest in Asia, will enable UL’s customers to get their products to market faster due to increased testing capacity. This facility, which will initially house six state-of-the-art test chambers, will continue to expand in 2009, as more capacity is needed. According to industry experts, the global PV market is expected to grow by 15 percent every year for the next five years, hitting $32 billion by 2012.

“Now, more than ever, manufacturers are looking for a trusted partner in the certification industry to help bring their innovations to market faster and more efficiently," said Jeff Smidt, General Manager of UL’s Global Energy Business. “With the launch of our new facility, we will better serve our customers by providing a full portfolio of testing and certification services in China, as well as access to the global market."

The Renewable Energy Law passed by the Chinese government in March 2005 stipulates that 10 percent of China’s energy must come from renewable resources by 2020—a fact that underlines the country’s increased demand for first-rate PV testing services.

“China is the third largest manufacturer of photovoltaic products in the world and production keeps increasing. It is the industry’s manufacturing base, and that is why UL is growing its PV testing capacity in this region," said Smidt.

The Photovoltaic Technology Center of Excellence in Suzhou, China is located in the New Hi-Tech Industrial Park, 98 Hengshan Road, Suzhou New District. UL’s first Center of Excellence, which opened in July 2008, is located in San Jose, California. UL is currently expanding that lab as the demand for PV certification services continues to increase. For more information on these facilities or UL’s PV services go to www.ul.com/dge/photovoltaics.

About Underwriters Laboratories
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is an independent product safety certification organization that has been testing products and writing Standards for Safety for over a century. UL evaluates more than 19,000 types of products, components, materials and systems annually with 20 billion UL Marks appearing on 72,000 manufacturers´ products each year. UL´s worldwide family of companies and network of service providers includes 64 laboratory, testing and certification facilities serving customers in 98 countries. For more information, visit: http://www.UL.com/newsroom.