TERI's Solar lighting laboratory first in India to receive NABL accreditation

The Solar Lighting Laboratory (SLL), which was recently set up by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi, will be the first laboratory in India to receive accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Laboratories (NABL) for IEC 62257-9-5 standards, applicable to stand-alone lighting for rural electrification.

 

The laboratory adheres to International Electro-technical Commission (IEC) (IEC is an international body that sets standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies throughout the world) standards for the testing of solar lighting systems (SLS), and has been recognized under the Lighting Global programme of International Finance Corporation (IFC). The laboratory is supported by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India.

 

Dr Leena Srivastava, Executive Director, TERI, and Vice Chancellor, TERI University, said: “We are proud to receive this recognition from NABL and feel privileged to be able to offer yet another service in support of sustainable development. Awareness on lighting quality and needs as well as on the life-cycle economics of different products is extremely poor in the regions where these are needed most. We hope to be able to provide all stakeholders with the information that would help them make informed choices while being sensitive to concerns of confidentiality.”

Mr Amit Kumar, Adjunct Professor, TERI University, and Chief Executive, Solar Lighting Laboratory said “While there are several dedicated programmes on solar lighting, there is   a huge gap in getting the right kind of   quality lighting solution for specific applications. This laboratory will help companies to improve their product quality in accordance with the international norms thereby ensuring that the consumers get the quality lighting product”.

 

As of now, the laboratory has tested more than 170 models of solar lighting systems including solar lanterns, solar home lighting systems, solar task lights and multi-purpose solar lights.

 

The laboratory is unique as it caters to the testing needs of both rural as well as urban lighting infrastructure. It is working towards strong quality assurance and testing programmes, which will help in building consumer confidence towards solar lighting products. The IFC’s Lighting Asia – India programme is working with TERI to achieve these goals.

As a way forward, it is planned that these programmes are linked to several other groups or programmes that require general lighting system (GLS) testing. The next generation testing equipment and programmes for high quality assurance can lead to the transformation of the laboratory into a nodal agency for general (solar) lighting system testing not only for India, but also for countries in Southeast Asia.



Source : India Education Diary , 29th October 2014