SolarBuyer Partners with PV Evolution Labs to Provide a PV Module Procurement Service with Fully Integrated Supplier Qualification and Quality Assurance

BERKELEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SolarBuyer, a specialized procurement management company based in Boston, MA has partnered with PV Evolution Labs (PVEL), an expert PV module testing laboratory located in Berkeley, CA, in order to offer a new PV module buying service that integrates supplier qualification and quality assurance into the procurement of PV modules for investors, banks, project developers and EPCs.

“this new service package provides investors with a brand new way to deal with concerns about module quality and reliability and will help buyers select and purchase investment-grade PV modules.”

Solar investors realize that PV modules are not a commodity in today’s market and that module quality represents a real risk to solar investments. SolarBuyer’s new partnership with PVEL enables solar investors and module buyers in North America to qualify suppliers based on a rigorous testing and auditing process. The partnership will also enable buyers’ to independently assure the quality of individual PV module purchases – both before and after shipment.

Poor module quality can cause failures in the field, which lead to underperformance and poor investment returns. Investors are increasingly reluctant to rely on manufacturers’ warranties and balance sheets to protect them from these risks. The preferred approach is to mitigate as much of the potential risk upfront and ensure that the quality of each PV module going into the field can be verified.

The reality is that modules do fail and that the risks of failure are increasing as the cost pressure within the solar industry continues to increase. SolarBuyer pre-shipment inspections of PV modules have revealed average defect rates in excess of 8% - with some shipments exceeding 20%. The new supplier qualification program, including in-depth factory audits and product reliability testing, will identify potential risks and ensure selection of the right suppliers for a particular project. Targeted quality assurance will then be applied during the actual build, delivery and site acceptance of the modules for a specific project.

“This exciting new partnership combines decades of PV manufacturing know-how, state-of-the-art solar testing capabilities and $1.5 B in commercial solar transactions. From the cradle to the grave, we will make sure that every investment in solar modules is secure,” said Mr. Ian Gregory, Managing Director of SolarBuyer. Mr. Jenya Meydbray, co-founder and CEO of PVEL added that, “this new service package provides investors with a brand new way to deal with concerns about module quality and reliability and will help buyers select and purchase investment-grade PV modules.”

About SolarBuyer, LLC (www.solarbuyer.com)

SolarBuyer provides unique procurement management services for the solar industry. SolarBuyer has developed a PV module procurement model based on aggregating buyers demand, independently auditing and qualifying PV manufacturers and assuring the quality of purchased modules with direct factory oversight and independent source inspection of every delivered module. The goal is to ensure that every module is independently quality-assured and free from defects impacting field performance and reliability. For further information in the USA contact Mr. Ian Gregory at +1.508.459.8550 and in Europe contact Mr. Peter Rusch at +49.30.9559.1343.

About PV Evolution Labs (www.PVEL.com)

Headquartered in Berkeley, CA, PV Evolution Labs was founded on the principle that understanding PV module performance and aging behavior through rigorous testing is fundamental to reducing risk in solar investments. For solar project development, PVEL provides unique data driven technical advisory services.