We have therefore developed our VDE Pyramid of Quality approach, which is our guiding principle for the development of products and services for all clean technologies. One of the important goals of this approach, which is especially important for financial stakeholders, is to achieve a significant reduction of operational risks, which is paramount to project valuation. Our experience shows that risk is reduced as you shift further up the pyramid.
Testing can be done based on (international or national) standards and regulations, as well as based on customer requirements (customized testing), both for the purpose of certification as well as during product development (e.g., performance or lifetime testing of a product, comparative testing of multiple different brands for suitability in a client product or customized safety testing to evaluate safety behavior in more detail than what is done in the framework of standard-based testing).
In the area of battery energy storage, we work with many of the leading international manufacturers to certify conformance with a variety of IEC, UN, and VDE, as well as conduct testing based on other standards (e.g., UL).
With regards to evaluating energy storage equipment, VDE operates multiple state-of-the-art testing facilities for batteries throughout the world, including test labs in Singapore, Germany, US, and China. The focus of our testing operations has been in the areas of product safety and reliability. These resources enable us to support our customers more effectively and efficiently, who are engaged in the development and deployment of BESS systems or -modules and lithium-ion cells.
The VDE Quality Tested mark for PV Modules features a stringent and optimized testing program tailored to achieving technical bankability. The program offers significant advancements in quality assurance in the following key areas:
