Nanjing, Jiangsu Province of China, Jan. 19, 2010 - Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a global leader in  product safety testing and certification services, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with State Grid Electric Power Research Institute of China (SGEPRI) to advance research and development in China's renewable energy and power distribution industries.

According to the agreement, UL will work with SGEPRI to conduct necessary research and help support the advancement of photovoltaic technologies and power distribution, including inverters and converters. The premier organizations will also partner to help pursue and advance standards development practices throughout China while providing training to industry on safety certification, components testing, and equipment calibration and measurement.  

"Underwriters Laboratories understands that safety and reliability issues play a critical role in the way renewable energy systems perform and ultimately influence the continued development of renewable energy," said Weifang Zhou, vice president and general manager, UL Greater China.  "UL is honored to share our experience in standards development and product safety testing with SGEPRI, and to help advance renewable energy technology in China.  Collaborating with a leading Chinese institute within the power industry, allows UL to participate in the effort of developing China's renewable energy and provide technical support to local PV inverter manufacturers."

China is developing its renewable energy infrastructure rapidly and ranks number one on installed capacity of hydropower, solar water heater collector area and photovoltaic power generation capacity.  In 2007, the Chinese government mandated that at least 10 percent of its energy capacity be generated from wind, solar and other renewable energy sources, and this number will reach 15 percent by 2010, proving the potential of the China renewable energy industry. The Renewable Energy Law of PRC (Amendment), adopted in December 2009, further stresses this ration.

"The application of renewable energy in China is coming to a critical point, so determining how to safely connect photovoltaic (PV) systems to the grid is critical for China," said Mr. Yi Hu, vice president, SGEPRI. "By leveraging UL's expertise in product testing and standards development, SGEPRI can further solidify our role as China's primary scientific research and development organization for power grid connections.  The alliance gives us the tools we need to develop and achieve a set of world-class standards, testing capabilities and technical evaluation for power grid connections of renewable energy, and paves the way for the application of new and clean energy in China." 

Authorized by National Energy Administration, SGEPRI will establish a National Solar Energy R&D Center, and undertake responsibilities including standards development, testing capabilities, technical evaluation & certification, and training.

About Underwriters Laboratories

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is an independent product safety certification organization that has been testing products and writing Standards for Safety for over a century. For more information, visit About UL.

About State Grid Electric Power Research Institute

State Grid Electric Power Research Institute (SGEPRI) is a key comprehensive scientific research and development institute directly affiliated to the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC). For the requirement of organization adjustment and reconstruction, SGEPRI was established by SGCC in June 2008, which merged Nanjing Automation Research Institute and Wuhan High Voltage Research Institute. The new institute is engaged in the theoretical research, applications of new technologies and development of new products in the areas of electric power system and its automation, AC & DC high voltage technologies, water conservancy & hydroelectric power measuring and control, power system communication and IT engineering, power primary equipment and its intellectualization, power electronic, rail traffic  and industry automation.