Need to get safer photovoltaic products to market faster? Start with the following guidelines, suggests UL's Bill Colavecchio, vice president and general manager, industrial products sector.
1. Obtain a copy of the product standard before you design the product.
Knowing the product requirements will increase the probability that you will adequately address them in your design. The technical experts from Underwriters Laboratories are available to help you understand the technical safety, performance and quality requirements of your product.
2. Engage UL early in your product development cycle.
Spending a few hours with UL's technical experts in your conceptual or early design stages can save you redesign time in the long run. UL's experts can identify product safety standards and installation codes that will be applied to your product. Designing for critical product and installation safety requirements at the beginning of your product development cycle may help get your product to market faster. UL offers a number of pre-certification services that allow you to engage with our technical experts early in your development process.
3. Source UL certified components and materials.
All end product safety standards require that components and materials used in the end product meet the relevant safety requirements for the component or material. UL has an extensive list of certified components and materials available on line at www.ul.com. Sourcing previously certified components and materials will limit the component or material testing that needs to be conducted during the end product evaluation.
Visit www.industryweek.com/energy for more stories about how the renewables energy industry is reshaping manufacturing.
