China has proposed a PV product grading system that classifies modules into three quality tiers based on reliability, performance, and environmental attributes. The framework is expected to influence procurement, financing, and insurance decisions in a bid to drive industry consolidation.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has opened a public consultation on six proposed electronic industry standards for photovoltaic product classification and grading.
The draft represents one of China’s first attempts to introduce a structured grading system for PV products. By ranking modules into quality tiers rather than applying a simple pass-fail standard, the framework could influence procurement, financing, and insurance decisions across the solar sector.
The proposed framework evaluates products across three categories: reliability, power-generation performance, and green attributes. Modules would be scored against a series of indicators under each category and assigned an overall grade. Products scoring 80 points or higher would qualify as Grade 1, those scoring 60 to 79 would be classified as Grade 2, and those scoring below 60 would fall into Grade 3.
Reliability is a key component of the proposed standard. The framework introduces differentiated testing requirements tailored to specific climate and application conditions, moving beyond uniform baseline testing. It incorporates conventional reliability tests such as thermal cycling, damp heat, damp-freeze, mechanical load, snow load, hail resistance, and potential-induced degradation (PID), as well as additional assessments for sand and dust exposure, marine environments, ultraviolet aging, and coupled-stress conditions.
