Tandem Solar Certification: What Exists and What Is Missing
A certification logo answers a narrower question than most buyers assume. Here is what IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 actually test, who currently holds either for a perovskite-silicon tandem module, and the standard that does not exist yet.
What IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 Cover
Two IEC standards govern conventional module certification, and both apply to tandem modules. IEC 61215 (design qualification and type approval) tests whether a module maintains stable electrical performance and durability under long-term outdoor stress: thermal cycling, damp heat, UV exposure, and mechanical load. IEC 61730 (safety qualification) tests structural design, electrical insulation, fire resistance, and mechanical stability - it does not evaluate power output or long-term durability at all, that is IEC 61215's job. The two are complementary, not interchangeable: a supplier citing one without the other has only covered half the picture.
Why Silicon-Era Standards Don't Fully Cover Perovskite
IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 were both designed and standardized around crystalline silicon's failure modes. Perovskite-silicon tandem modules introduce degradation mechanisms silicon-only testing was never built to isolate: ion migration within the perovskite lattice under prolonged electrical bias, halide segregation under light and heat stress that shifts the material's bandgap over time, and moisture ingress into the perovskite layer, which is markedly more moisture-sensitive than crystalline silicon. Passing IEC 61215's existing damp-heat and thermal-cycling protocols is necessary but not sufficient evidence that these tandem-specific mechanisms have been ruled out over a 25-to-30-year service life.
Who Currently Holds Certification
Qcells holds the first IEC 61215 and UL 61215 certification for a perovskite-silicon tandem module, granted by TÜV Rheinland (IEC 61215 + UL 61215 certified), on full-area M10 cells and modules from its Bitterfeld-Wolfen pilot line - pilot-scale, not yet full commercial production. China's first publicly tendered commercial order, GCL Optoelectronics' contract for Huaneng, required full IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 certification alongside a 25-year performance warranty as a condition of the tender (1.2 MW for Huaneng) - that describes what the tender demanded, not an independently confirmed statement that GCL itself holds both certifications.
| Company | Certification status |
|---|---|
| Caelux | No independent certification found - company-claimed figure from a partnership integrating Caelux's Active Glass into a partner module (Solx Aurora) |
| First Solar | No product announced |
| GCL Optoelectronics | Not independently confirmed as IEC 61215/61730 certified beyond the Huaneng tender requirement it won |
| JinkoSolar | Not independently confirmed - the 34.82% figure is a certified lab-cell efficiency record only, not an IEC 61215 certification claim |
| LONGi Green Energy | Not independently confirmed for a commercial module - the 35.5% figure is a certified lab cell record, not a module efficiency |
| Oxford PV | Not independently confirmed beyond the commercial sale announcement |
| Qcells (Hanwha) | IEC 61215 + UL 61215 certified (TÜV Rheinland, Jul 2026) |
| Saule Technologies | Not publicly disclosed |
| Swift Solar | Not publicly disclosed |
| Tandem PV | Not publicly disclosed |
| Trina Solar | Verified by TÜV SÜD; large-scale commercial shipments not yet underway |
What Is Still Missing
Does not yet exist specific to perovskite degradation mechanisms. Analysts expect this gap to close between 2028 and 2030, but that is an industry expectation, not a confirmed regulatory date. Until a harmonised standard exists, accelerated stability test data disclosed directly by individual suppliers matters more than a certification logo alone - and the absence of that data on a supplier's page is itself worth noting, not filling in with an assumption.