In June 2018 the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) published a new edition of the test methods used for testing solar products, IEC 62257-9-5:2018 (also written as IEC 62257-9-5 ed. 4). It will take our program and the associated test labs some time to phase in use of this new document. This memo describes the associated changes and expected timelines. In April 2019, this memo was updated to also provide a detailed list of the differences between the test methods in ed. 3 and ed. 4 of IEC 62257-9-5.

This memo also describes changes to the quality standards for pico-PV products which were implemented on December 1, 2018. For a detailed list of changes to the Lighting Global Quality Standards, please review the Change Log for Quality Standards.

This document was produced by Lighting Global Quality Assurance. In February 2020, Lighting Global Quality Assurance evolved to become VeraSol, an independent program offering quality assurance services for solar energy kits and off-grid appliances.