First Full Test Center for Solar Collectors in Central America

Freiburg (ots) - PSE AG Delivers Testing Facility to Costa Rica

PSE AG announced today that it has delivered a turnkey test center
for thermal collectors and factory made systems to the state owned
power company Grupo ICE in Costa Rica. The test center consists of
several testing facilities to measure the performance and reliability
of solar thermal collectors and systems. The main components of the
test center are PSE's new SORAS-ST6 steady-state solar simulator, a
mechanical load tester, as well as a rain and thermal shock tester.
The entire test center is designed to test collectors and systems
indoors and outdoors according to all relevant international
standards like ISO 9806 and ISO 9459-5.

"This test center is unique in Central America. Grupo ICE will
take advantage of getting all the equipment from one source. The high
degree of automation will guarantee repeatable results on an
international level" explains Jan Steinmetz, project leader at PSE AG
in Freiburg, Germany. Virgilio Jiménez Valverde, General Coordinator
of the Laboratory for Energy Efficiency at Grupo ICE also welcomes
the start-up of the test center: "We see a big potential for thermal
solar systems in Costa Rica and all of Central America. The market is
just developing and it is important to have quality products in the
market. We are very proud that we can test and approve the quality of
products for our customers."

The heart of the test center is the new steady state solar
simulator SORAS-ST6 to test solar thermal collectors independently of
weather and season. Fully automated, it determines the power and
efficiency curve of solar thermal collectors. To simulate solar
irradiation six metal halide lamps are in operation. Together with
the artificial sky the simulator generates outdoor like irradiation.

Another important component of the test center is the mechanical
load tester MLT12 of PSE AG, which simulates static and dynamic loads
on thermal collectors. Twelve pneumatic cylinders with vacuum suction
cups exert both compressive and tensile loads on test samples. The
rain and thermal shock tester RAST is a three-in-one test stand,
covering internal and external shock tests as well as rain
penetration tests.

The equipment supplied by PSE AG is part of a comprehensive
project that also includes the analysis of the energy efficiency of
washing machines, water heaters, household and commercial
refrigerators, household electrical stoves, electrical motors up to
50HP, and all kinds of light sources. Capris Engineering acted as the
general contractor and developer of the complete project.

The accreditation of the test center in accordance with ISO 17025
is currently underway. Comparative measurements with the Fraunhofer
Institute for Solar Energy ISE in Freiburg, Germany have already
confirmed that the test center delivers nationally and
internationally comparable results.

About PSE AG

PSE AG offers test systems for PV modules and solar collectors, as
well as consulting services for the use and development of solar
energy systems.

PSE test stands are used by institutes and product developers for
performance and quality testing, as well as certification testing for
international standards. PSE offers consulting services in the area
of rural electrification and in the coordination of international
research projects. PSE conference management organizes international
scientific solar conferences.

The company was founded in Freiburg in 1999 as a spin-off of the
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, and currently employs
65.

Contact for Media Inquiries :
PSE AG
Beate Suppinger
Emmy-Noether-Str. 2
79110 Freiburg, Germany
Phone: +49 761 479 1456
beate.suppinger@pse.de