1 Scope
This part of IEC TS 62788 provides guidelines to assess the ability of an edge seal to prevent moisture ingress from the edges of PV modules. This document does not
cover frame adhesives (sometimes colloquially referred to as edge seals ) which by design do not serve to prevent moisture ingress to a meaningful degree.
Edge seals should keep moisture out, remain adhered, and maintain electrically insulation from
the environment. Much of the testing can be done on the material level, but given
the fact that there are multiple surfaces, materials interactions, and mechanical
stresses, testing on mini modules or modules is necessary. To accomplish this, this
document contains three types of test sample types, materials, mini-modules, and full-size
modules. It is intended that a quick evaluation and comparison can be made using materials
only. This would be followed up by more rigorous tests using mini-modules where all
the interfaces are correctly represented. And finally, full-size module tests are
used to evaluate the actual construction process to allow unanticipated concerns to
be addressed.
This document is structured to evaluate the ability of an edge seal and the overall packaging design to prevent moisture ingress and to provide sufficient
electrical insulation according to accepted qualification standards. It seeks to uncover
inadequacies in the permeation properties of the edge seal , electrical safety issues, or delamination resulting in moisture ingress. Here it
is implied that mini-modules and full-size modules are constructed in accordance with
IEC 61730 series This ...