The BENNING PV 2 SET is a full solar PV installation testing kit, which includes the Benning PV2, as well as the BENNING SUN2 remote irradiance meter and inclinometer, and the SOLAR MANAGER software program, allowing the user to carry out the entire test safely, reliably, easily and quickly. The BENNING PV 2 is recommended for daily use by service, cleaning and maintenance teams as well as for solar panel installers and authorized experts for photovoltaics.

Testing in compliance with DIN EN 62446 (VDE 0126-23) and DIN EN 61829 (VDE 0126-24)
Easy – operation by means of keys with AUTO testing procedure
Quick – testing within seconds
Safe – contacting via PV connectors
Before commissioning and for periodic inspections, a photovoltaic system must be tested and documented with regard to its perfectly safe technical condition in compliance with DIN EN 62446 (VDE 0126-23). Additionally, electrical measurements are also useful after cleaning and maintenance work in order to continue to ensure an optimum and low-loss functioning of the PV system.

The test includes continuity testing of earth connections, measurement of the open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current as well as insulating resistance measurement between active conductors (+/-) and earth. The BENNING PV 2 is provided with contact-protected PV measuring leads for direct connection to all PV modules/ strings by means of standardized PV connectors. The automatic testing procedure gives a warning in case of wrong DC polarity and automatically performs all necessary steps for a safe measurement.

On-site measurement of the current-voltage characteristic in compliance with DIN EN 62446 (VDE 0126-23) is a practical method for assessing the performance of photovoltaic systems. The measured I-V characteristics are converted to standard test conditions (STC) using evaluation tools such as the PC software BENNING SOLAR Manager and the Android app BENNING PV Link and can be compared with the nominal PV module data of the manufacturer via an integrated PV module database. Deviations and reduced performance are clearly identified and can be documented correspondingly. Furthermore, the shape of the I-V characteristic provides useful information on the status of a PV system and indicates possible errors.

Key Features:

• Clear and unambiguous display of all measurement results
• Safe measurement connection, even if the photovoltaic system is delivering energy
• Automatic test procedures for curve measurement with or without RISO testing
• Indication of Uo/c, Umpp, Is/c, Impp, filling factor (FF) and RISO with “PASS/FAIL” indication
• Insulation measurement with testing voltages of 250 V, 500 V and 1000 V
• Separate insulating resistance measurement via 4 mm measuring leads for tests of PV cables etc.
• Automatic testing procedure (open-circuit voltage 1000 V DC, short-circuit current 15 A DC, insulating resistance)
• Automatic display of voltage polarity with audio/ visual warning for reverse polarity
• Null balance of the measuring leads
• Measured values memory for 999 display indications (PV strings)
• USB interface and download software BENNING SOLAR Datalogger for downloading measured values in CSV format
• Equipped with an integrated real-time clock which automatically adds a date / time stamp to each storage process or storage location
• Radio connection to the included insolation and temperature measuring instrument BENNING SUN 2
• Download software for the preparation of test certificates in MS Excel
• ISO measuring result with “pass / fail” information
• Direct connection to all standard photovoltaic modules with MC4 or „Sunclix“ connectors
• Easy operation for network-independently and mobile testing
• LCD display with background lighting
• Automatic switch-off (individually adjustable from 1 to 10 minutes)
• Tests can refer to PV modules, PV strings or the entire PV system.
• Included PC software BENNING SOLAR Manager for the creation of test reports and documentation of characteristics
• Free app BENNING PV Link (requires Android device with NFC)

Measuring Functions:

• Protective earth conductor resistance measurement with test current of 200 mA
• Open-circuit voltage measurement (Uo/c) of the solar modules or PV strings up to 1000 V DC
• Short-circuit current measurement (Is/c) via an internal circuit up to 15 A DC without any danger for the user
• Insulating resistance measurement between the shorted DC conductors (+/-) and earthing with adjustable test voltage (250 V, 500 V, 1000 V)
• Separate two-pole insulating resistance measurement via 4 mm measuring line up to 300 MOhms
• Measurement of the current-voltage characteristic (I-V) and the power characteristic (P-V)
• Indication of voltage (Umpp), current (Impp) at the maximum power point (mpp) and filling factor (FF)
• Functional test via current measurement up to 40 A AC / DC (by means of current clamp adapter BENNING CC 3, item no. 044038)
• The BENNING PV 2 is able to receive the measured values (insolation, PV module / ambient temperature and date / time stamp) of the insolation and temperature measuring instrument BENNING SUN 2 (optional item) via radio connection

BENNING SOLAR Manager (included PC software)

The PC software BENNING SOLAR Manager used with the BENNING PV 2 allows the creation of test reports and documentation in compliance with the standards DIN EN 62446 (VDE 0126-23) and DIN EN 61829 (VDE 0126-24). The measured I-V characteristics and power characteristics of the BENNING PV 2 can be converted to standard test conditions (STC) and can be compared with the manufacturer’s nominal specifications via an integrated PV module database.

BENNING SOLAR Datalogger (download software)

• Download of measured values from the BENNING PV 2 in CSV format
• Further processing of measured values possible in MS Excel® available free of charge in the scope of delivery (CD-ROM) and as a download

BENNING PV Link app:

• Requires Android devices with NFC interface
• Presentation of the measured I-V (current-voltage) characteristic and of the P-V (power-voltage) characteristic in a curve diagram
• Conversion to standard test conditions (STC) and comparison with the nominal Characteristic specified by the PV module manufacturer via an integrated PV module database
• Documentation of the performance data of the PV generator indicating Pmpp, Uo/c, Umpp, Is/c, Impp, filling factor, temperature and insolation
• Photo function for the documentation of material defects and identification of the measuring point
• curve data can be stored for each project and can be exported as PDF test report via e-mail
• available free of charge for the BENNING PV 2 in the Android Playstore