The New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) conducted 40 tests of imported solar cells over the past two months, a source from the authority told Daily News Egypt.
The government’s decision to oblige heater and solar cell importers to conduct product testing at the NREA starting from 23 October 2019 has not been applied yet, however companies conducted the tests out of a certain sense of moral obligation, the source added.
There are ongoing consultations and meetings between the NREA, the General Organization for Export & Import Control (GOEIC), and the Egyptian Organization for Standards & Quality (EOS) to reach an agreement and formally implement the decision. “Some bodies asked to clarify their role in the testing process,” he said.
The main goal of the decision is to ensure the quality and efficiency of the products that are imported and installed in Egypt, and an efficiency certificate is issued if they met specifications. If any products were not subject to examination, they will be confiscated.
The decision was issued last year by Amr Nassar, former minister of trade and industry, and asked importers to adjust their situation. The violators will be subject to penalties of Law no. 48 for 1941.
The maximum testing fee is estimated at EGP 40,000 for each container, whether it contains heaters or solar cells. General testing fee stands at EGP 240, EGP 1,800 for insulation resistance test, EGP 2,100 for thermal shock testing, EGP 2,000 for electrical power testing, EGP 2,000 for measurement of the radial distribution of the heat transfer coefficient of the solar cell, and EGP 2,000 for temperature performance test.
The NREA held a workshop last October for suppliers of solar photovoltaic systems and heaters to discuss the implementation of the decision.
Some 20 importers participated in the workshop, in the presence of Mohamed Al-Khayat, chairperson of the NREA, and Ehab Farouk, planning manager and supervisor of the solar energy plants in the NREA.
