Turnkey Calibration Laboratory Setup: Why Your Company Should Build Its Own Calibration Lab

When it comes to businesses dealing with solar energy, photovoltaic testing, pyranometers, reference cells, and irradiance sensors, accurate measurements are no small issue. They constitute the very basis of success, reputation, and quality.

But despite all the obvious advantages, many companies continue to rely on external calibration laboratories fully. This results in lengthy delays, additional expenses, lack of flexibility, and reduced control.

This is one of the reasons why more and more solar energy companies, laboratories, manufacturers, research institutions, and quality departments decide to set up their own calibration lab.

With the assistance of the comprehensive turnkey calibration lab setup offered by BallastCo, you will be able to design and run your own calibration lab based on international standards, without reinventing the wheel.

A calibration lab is a technical environment where measuring devices are calibrated using reference standards to ensure their precision.

When it comes to solar applications, calibration labs are typically used for:

Why? It’s all about ensuring that the measuring equipment gives accurate and reliable results.

In the solar energy sector, even minor inaccuracies in measurements could impact performance evaluations, testing, energy output estimates, product validation, and quality assurance judgments.

Why Establish Your Own Calibration Laboratory?

 

Using third-party services for calibration may delay the process. There is a need to ship, schedule, receive, perform calibration, and return the sensors.

If you are among the many firms that require regular calibration of their sensors, you might incur costs and frustrations from the process.

Having your lab will enable you to manage the calibration processes based on your schedule. You will eliminate any delays, plan better, and prevent disruptions to testing, manufacturing, customer care, or scientific experiments.

2. Cut Down the Cost of Calibration Services

Third-party calibration services may lead to recurring costs. The expenses could range from paying for the service, shipping nationally or internationally, clearing customs if applicable, , and other related costs.

It takes an investment to establish your lab, but it can help to cut down the expenses of organizations that regularly deal with solar sensors.

For companies with regular calibration needs, an internal laboratory can become a long-term cost-saving asset.

Return on Investment: Full Benefit After Few Calibrations

Among the strongest business cases for developing an in-house calibration lab is the return on investment.

Even with the initial costs involved in training, buying equipment, installing software, setting up the laboratory, and developing the staff, the cost incurred in setting up the calibration lab will be fully recovered after calibrating around 100 to 200 irradiance sensors or pyranometers based on the number of calibrations performed, external costs, transportation cost, import procedures, among others.

A business which frequently performs calibration of solar irradiance sensors, pyranometers, reference cells, or any device for irradiance measurement would find it rather costly to outsource every single one of those calibrations since each calibration involves service costs, transportation, waiting times, administrative costs, and possibly delayed projects.

With BallastCo’s turnkey laboratory installation services and trainings program, a business will not only get to save money from the outsourcing but also acquire its own set of equipment, staff, software, documentation procedure, and calibration method.

From this point onwards, the calibration lab will continue providing returns by:

• Reduction in calibration cost per sensor
• Savings on turnaround time
• Low dependence on outside labs
• Increased control over calibration schedule
• Stronger quality assurance process
• Servicing customers

• Internal calibration
• Support in customer calibration
• After-sales services
• Product validation
• Research and development
• Tech consultancy
• External calibration in the future

Such an opportunity would be valuable especially for companies that operate in the solar and photovoltaic field.

How BallastCo Makes Calibration Laboratory Setup Easy

A calibration laboratory requires more than purchasing equipment alone.

You need the correct arrangement, reference equipment, light source, sensor delivery device, data logging system, software, documentation, process, and training.

BallastCo provides assistance in bringing together all these necessary components in one package.

Some of the services provided could include:

The service is customizable based on the needs of the customer.

Indoor Calibration Laboratory Setup

Indoor calibration laboratories enable you to calibrate sensors through artificial lighting.

BallastCo will supply some of the required equipment in establishing an indoor calibration lab which includes Class AAA sun simulator per IEC 60904-9, sensor delivery mechanism, datalogger compatibility, data acquisition software, calibration software, and certification creation software. 

Indoor calibration is recommended to those companies that prefer controlled laboratory tests.

 

Outdoor Calibration Laboratory Setup

Outdoor calibration uses actual sunlight in conjunction with specialized mounting equipment.

BallastCo will be instrumental in establishing an outdoor calibration laboratory by offering customized sensor calibration stands and using natural sunlight in conducting calibration.

Outdoor calibration will be appropriate for organizations that require natural sunlight for calibration purposes.

 

Equipment and Software for a Calibration Laboratory

Depending on the selected configuration, BallastCo can provide the main equipment and tools needed for a calibration laboratory.

These may include:

The sensor delivery device can be customized for pyranometer calibration or reference cell calibration. 

The proper calibration laboratory must adhere to international standards recognized by the industry.

The BallastCo calibration laboratory configuration and training program utilizes standards such as:

• ISO 9847:2023; standard on calibrating pyranometers
• IEC 60904-2:2023; standard on reference devices for photovoltaics
• IEC 60904-4:2019; standard on reference solar devices
• IEC 60904-9:2020; standard on solar simulators classification
• ISO/IEC 17025:2017; competence of laboratories standard

• Solar energy companies
• Photovoltaic modules testing laboratories
• Meteorological measurement companies
• Research and development departments
• Universities and technical colleges
• Quality control departments
• After-sale service companies