How do I know if a piece of equipment is approved by INMETRO?

Photovoltaic modules and inverters for application in photovoltaic systems must undergo compulsory certification in Brazil, according to the ordinance 004/2011 of INMETRO.

In the case of inverters, equipment above 10 kW is exempt from the requirement.

At INMETRO It is possible to check the status of the equipment registration. You can search, for example, based on the type of equipment and the name of the manufacturer or brand, as shown in the figure below.

In the search carried out in this example we found a list of several Fronius inverter models.

We found that many have the letter A (active), which indicates that the registration with INMETRO is active and the product can be sold in the country.

On the other hand, products marked with the letter C (cancelled) have already had their registration disabled, as product registration with INMETRO has a limited duration and must be constantly renewed. Products that are no longer sold or manufactured are generally listed as inactive.

See also: Value of solar energy: how much does installation cost on average?

Below is an example of a product sheet with active registration, which provides the date the registration was granted, details of the manufacturer or person responsible for the registration, the brand and model of the equipment – ​​a Fronius Primo 4.0-1 inverter in this example.

A question that may arise for consumers is the possibility of using equipment that has already expired. Normally, this would not be a problem for other types of products, as registration with INMETRO aims to regulate their commercialization in Brazil.

However, in the specific case of photovoltaic inverters, electricity concessionaires require the presentation of the INMETRO certificate (for equipment up to 10 kW) to approve the access request.

New projects, which use equipment with active registration, do not face any type of difficulty. The problem arises when a consumer wants to make a new access request using an old inverter.

This situation can occur, for example, in the event of a move, if the consumer wishes to remove the photovoltaic system from their old residence and install it in their new home.

In the situation mentioned above, it will be necessary to talk to the dealership and argue that the product received INMETRO certification when it was purchased and installed for the first time. Additionally, international certificates of conformity for the equipment, which are normally provided by the manufacturers, can be presented to the concessionaire.

In this link you can find a video produced by Canal Solar on YouTube.