MEDIA RELEASE PR37907
Underwriters Laboratories Forms Landmark Alliance With State Grid Electric Power Research Institute
of China
NANJING, Jan. 28 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
Memorandum of Understanding to Advance Renewable Energy and Power Distribution
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. UL evaluates more than 19,000 types of
products, components, materials and systems, with 20 billion UL Marks appearing on 72,000 manufacturers'
products each year. UL's worldwide family of companies and network of service providers includes 64
laboratory, testing and certification facilities serving customers in 98 countries. For more information, visit:
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.
SOURCE: Underwriters Laboratories
CONTACT: Chris Suttile of GolinHarris,
+1-312-729-4224,
csuttile@golinharris.com,
for Underwriters Laboratories;
or Robyn Flaherty of Underwriters Laboratories,
+1-847-664-1076,
robyn.r.flaherty@us.ul.com
NEWS 
