PV Materials & Components
Polysilicon
Ingot
Wafer
Cell
Glass, EVA, Backsheet
PV Equipments & BOS
PV Modules
Cables
Inverter
Transformer
Trackers
Structure
Assets
Production Site
PV Plants
Services for the major solar value chains
We offer a complete suite of solar quality assurance services:
SUPPLIERS AND PRODUCTS ASSESSMENT
Procurement of solar components typically starts with a thorough quantitative assessment of both suppliers and products on the market.
On-site, evidence-based audits are the tools of choice to evaluate and benchmark the capability of suppliers and factories to deliver quality products:
- Quality Management System Audits
- Manufacturing Process Audits
- R&D capability assessment, etc.
STS also offers specialized audits and assessments, including:
- Supply chain audits and mapping
- Different types of product assessments
- Quality Control Plan assessment, etc.
PRE-DISPATCH INSPECTION
The presence of qualified inspectors in the factory during production of components is, by far, the most efficient and most cost-effective way to ensure quality of the components delivered to the project site.
With a track record of more than 12 years of PV equipment quality inspection, STS wrote and published the first Industry Standard (STS-STD-PVM1©) for approval of PV modules manufacturing and dispatch. Today, this Standard is used by most of our clients.
Following successful deployment of STS-STD-PVM1©, our clients receive a Certificate of Conformity that may be used to demonstrate to other PV assets stakeholders the level of quality secured during manufacturing.
POST-DISPATCH INSPECTION
STS offers quality inspection and test services directly at the project site to evaluate the state of health of PV plants:
- Assessment of transportation or installation damage
- Assessment of damage due to a weather event
- Warranty claims
- Full health assessment through technical due diligence, etc.
TESTING
STS partners with carefully qualified ISO17025-accredited PV testing laboratories to provide a complete one-stop-shop experience. We assist our clients in establishing the most pertinent testing plan, identifying the relevant testing location to perform the test and follow-up the testing execution to finally interpret results and data.
Data matters, especially when the test plan is well designed, and the results are properly analyzed.
TECHNICAL ADVISORY
Thanks to our continuous presence at the manufacturing factories, STS advisors are continuously updated about the latest trends, the new failure modes or the upcoming risks that a buyer of PV equipment may encounter.
We help establish quality management plans, support procurement contracting, assist with warranty claims, and carry out technical due diligence, on both operating and manufacturing assets.