To protect consumers from low-quality solar products, several governments have adopted internationally harmonised IEC quality standards published by the IEC. These national standards underpin quality assurance frameworks that protect consumers while improving the quality, availability and affordability of off-grid solar products in the market.

As part of the standards compliance process, governments can implement conformity assessment, market surveillance, and enforcement measures. A Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) program is one of the conformity paths that can be used by a regulatory body to ensure that imported products meet applicable standards and regulations before leaving the port of origin. Products that meet requirements set by the destination country receive a Certificate of Conformity (CoC), facilitating streamlined market entry upon arrival at the destination port. Consignments of products lacking CoC are denied entry at the points of entry into these markets. Countries that use PVoC for imported off-grid solar products include Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda.

The flow diagram below shows the steps involved in PVoC for off-grid solar products.

How does VeraSol certification support the PVoC process?

VeraSol works with these stakeholders to improve the effectiveness of PVoC processes by providing expert guidance and practical resources. Conformity assessment programs and manufacturers can leverage the following VeraSol resources and tools for the PVoC process.

• VeraSol Certificates: Use VeraSol certificates to validate that products meet the IEC TS 62257-9-8.
• VeraSol Product Database: Use our free, easily accessible online database to confirm the authenticity of the VeraSol certificates. Only VeraSol-certified solar energy kits are listed in the database.
• VeraSol Specification Sheet: Provides key performance metrics, e.g., daily energy service value, to evaluate compliance with specific requirements in national standards.