BallastCo Launches a New Turnkey Calibration Laboratory Setup and Training Service

BallastCo, part of ArGesim Group, has launched an innovative and highly useful service that helps companies set up their own calibration laboratories for calibrating pyranometers, reference cells, and solar irradiance sensors.

This turnkey calibration laboratory service provides a complete solution for all solar energy companies and technical service companies that require dependable, standardized, and reproducible calibration processes.

The service is particularly essential since setting up a calibration laboratory is not simply about buying equipment. Companies need the appropriate laboratory design, calibration methodology, reference instruments, calibration software, documentation system, certification process, traceability strategy, and skilled technicians.

BallastCo can provide these services in one package, which may encompass equipment delivery, laboratory design, indoor and outdoor calibration procedures, calibration software, documentation assistance.

Why This Service Is Useful

This innovative service is valuable because it allows businesses to increase their level of control over one of the essential factors influencing the quality of measurements, which is calibration.

By creating their own laboratory of calibrations, businesses can cut down their reliance on external suppliers, shorten the time spent waiting for results, improve internal quality control, and foster their technical expertise.

This service would be especially helpful for firms that constantly calibrate their irradiance sensors, pyranometers, reference cells, and solar reference devices. For them, calibration is a recurring activity that plays an influential role in determining the costs, speed, and accuracy of measurements.

BallastCo’s service helps transform calibration from an outsourced expense into an internal technical capability.

What the New BallastCo Service Includes

BallastCo’s package to set up a turnkey calibration laboratory and provide training can be tailored depending on the customer’s requirements.

Depending on the chosen laboratory design, the package can cover the following services:

• Laboratory layout design
• Equipment provision
• Indoor calibration process design
• Outdoor calibration process design
• Theoretical background on calibration
• Tips on data gathering
• Traceability assistance
• Preparation of a calibration certificate
• Software and tools for calibration and reporting
• Training in laboratory routine operations

This package can be adjusted to indoor calibration, outdoor calibration, or both. Training can take place either at ArGesim production plant in Türkiye or at the customer’s location.

Indoor, Outdoor, or Dual Calibration Capacity

Each organization has specific needs regarding calibration services. While some enterprises may require indoor calibration alone, others may need outdoor calibration. There are also cases when it makes sense to install a dual calibration system.

At BallastCo, we help our clients select the best solution considering:

• Type of sensor
• Purpose of calibration
• Affordable laboratory area
• Equipment availability
• Technical specifications
• Required calibration process
• Preference for indoor or outdoor calibration
• Future development of the laboratory

This customized approach helps companies avoid unnecessary complexity and build a calibration laboratory that matches their real operational needs.

Equipment and Software Support

For a calibration laboratory, you will need equipment, software, and workflow integration. These can be supplied by BallastCo depending on which configuration has been chosen.

They can be, for example:

• Class AAA sun simulator
• Sensor delivery system
• Calibration stand
• Datalogger
• Software for data acquisition
• Software for calibration
• Software for generating certificates
• Mounting systems for use outdoors
• Guidance on reference sensors
• Training and technical assistance

The sensor delivery system can be offered for calibrating pyranometers or calibrating reference cells depending on the customer’s needs.

Training and Transfer of Practical Know-how

One of the most positive aspects of the new BallastCo service is the transfer of practical knowledge.

It can involve teaching principles of calibration, indoor and outdoor calibration workflows, setting up laboratory, choosing appropriate equipment, traceability, documenting, data collecting, certificate generation, best practices for obtaining reproducible results, etc. This helps customer teams understand not only how to use the equipment, but also how to operate the laboratory as a complete calibration process.

Training can be provided at the ArGesim production facility in Türkiye or at the customer’s own facility. On-site training can be especially useful when the laboratory setup needs to be adapted to the customer’s specific environment.

Calibration Laboratory Standards for the Program

The calibration lab facility setup and training offered by BallastCo are derived from international standards relating to the calibration of solar sensors and photovoltaic reference devices.

Some of the standards employed include:

• ISO 9847:2023 pyranometer calibration
• IEC 60904-2:2023 photovoltaic reference devices
• IEC 60904-4:2019 reference solar devices
• IEC 60904-9:2020 solar simulator classification
• ISO/IEC 17025:2017 laboratory competence and documentation

The use of these standards will assist organizations in developing a calibration procedure that is consistent, reliable, verifiable

Return on Investment: An Important Service for Large Volume of Sensor Calibration

For companies that frequently have their irradiance sensors and pyranometers calibrated, BallastCo’s service will be another reason to consider our new offering.

Investment in developing a calibration laboratory will consist of purchasing equipment and software, investing in personnel training, arranging the lab space, and other expenses. Nevertheless, such investment will pay off in approximately 100-200 irradiance sensor and pyranometer calibrations, taking into account external calibration cost, shipping costs, duties, volume, and operational considerations.

Such approach will make it possible to turn recurrent external costs in a technical capability that the company will have internally.

Once the threshold of 100-200 sensor calibrations is reached, further advantages will consist of:

• Lower cost per calibration
• Faster calibration
• Less dependence on external labs
• More flexibility of scheduling
• Higher internal quality control
• Greater capabilities for serving clients
• New technical service opportunities

For organizations that have lots of sensors annually, this new service will be valuable both from the technical standpoint and financially.

BallastCo Assists Businesses from Idea to Calibration Laboratory

With the new service, BallastCo assists businesses in all phases of developing a calibration laboratory.

The service starts by analyzing the client’s sensors, calibration requirements, space availability, equipment inventory, technical requirements, and calibration methods of choice. This data will guide BallastCo in formulating a tailored calibration laboratory system and training plan for the business.

This yields a practical solution to meet the specific calibration needs of the company.

This service is beneficial for firms involved in the solar power industry, photovoltaic testing, sensor production, scientific investigation, and quality assurance testing.