U.S.-based Underwriters Laboratories, which known for the UL Mark, has announced that is opening a photovoltaic testing laboratory in Suzhou.
The new 400-square-meter Photovoltaic Technology Center of Excellence will be the largest photovoltaic testing laboratory in Asia and have the capability to test to both UL and International Electrotechnical Commission standards. 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% every year for the next five years, hitting USD32 billion by 2012. For example the Renewable Energy Law passed by the Chinese government in March 2005 stipulates that 10% of China's energy must come from renewable resources by 2020.
According to a spokesman for UL, China is the third largest manufacturer of photovoltaic products in the world and its production keeps increasing, and that is why UL is growing its PV testing capacity in this region.
UL's Photovoltaic Technology Center of Excellence in Suzhou, 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.