OSHA recognition as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) enables RETC, part of the VDE Group, to test and certify qualifying solar products to safety standards within its approved scope
RETC’s expanded capabilities build on the company’s established beyond-certification testing expertise, providing manufacturers with a one-stop shop for safety certification and market access
As part of its expanded certification offering, RETC is introducing North American solar manufacturers to its newly trademarked VDE RETC certification mark
The VDE RETC conformity mark applies to electrotechnical products intended for the North American market (United States and Canada) that RETC, part of the VDE Group, has certified to recognized safety standards.
(Fremont, Calif., November 12, 2026) As domestic solar manufacturing expands in North America, manufacturers face increasingly complex product safety and certification requirements, making a clear path to market important. Renewable Energy Test Center (RETC), part of the VDE Group, is expanding its testing capabilities as an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)-approved Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL). The company’s expanded certification testing capabilities draw on seventeen years of highly accelerated life testing expertise. Starting in Q1 2027, RETC’s solar manufacturer customers will be able to apply a VDE RETC certification mark to products sold into the United States and Canada, providing another option to demonstrate safety compliance and bring products to the North American market.
RETC’s expanded certification offerings currently cover photovoltaic modules, solar tracking systems, and related equipment, with testing and certification to applicable safety and design qualification standards, including UL 61730, UL 61215, and UL 3703. Starting in 2027, the company will also offer UL 1741 and UL 62109 certification for inverters. Moreover, it plans to support certification testing to UL 3700, the highly anticipated draft safety standard for plug-in balcony solar products.
“Manufacturers need a clear, credible path to demonstrating that their products meet applicable safety requirements,” said Cherif Kedir, president and CEO of RETC, part of the VDE Group. “With our expanded certification capabilities, we can help manufacturers navigate that process more efficiently and bring their products to market with greater confidence. This is a natural extension of the work RETC has done for years, combining independent testing expertise with the technical rigor manufacturers and their customers expect.”
As an IEC Certifying Body Test Laboratory, RETC has performed certification-related testing for more than a decade, including PV module certification testing on behalf of third-party NRTLs. Following its acquisition of SolarPTL in 2024, RETC is working to replace the existing PTL certification mark with the new VDE RETC certification mark. The OSHA NRTL program recognizes laboratories that meet its requirements for testing and certifying products against specific safety standards. OSHA-approved laboratories can certify qualifying products within their approved scope, helping manufacturers demonstrate compliance with applicable product safety requirements.
“As part of the VDE Group, RETC draws on a global network and more than 100 years of testing and certification expertise,” said Ansgar Hinz, CEO of the VDE Group, one of the largest technology organizations in Europe. “Globally, VDE tests over 100,000 products annually and monitors more than 7,000 production facilities in over 50 countries. This means that RETC and the VDE Institute can provide equipment manufacturers with certification testing resources to support product development and market entry in North America and internationally.”
While certification testing establishes whether products meet minimum safety standards, RETC's beyond-certification Thresher Test program provides project stakeholders with comparative reliability and performance data that help characterize product-specific design vulnerabilities, wear-out mechanisms, failure modes, and long-term degradation patterns. Together, these certification and beyond-certification testing capabilities enable RETC to support manufacturers at different stages of product evaluation, from demonstrating product compliance to assessing long-term performance and reliability, while providing opportunities to coordinate testing and improve operational efficiencies.
RETC will attend RE+ 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Nov. 16–19, alongside its sister company, VDE Americas, a global leader in technical advisory and catastrophic risk assessment services for solar, storage, and solar-plus-storage assets and portfolios. Manufacturers and industry stakeholders can visit Booth C4451 to meet with technical experts, learn more about the VDE RETC certification mark, and discuss how RETC's bankability and certification testing services can support product development, market entry, and project financing.
To schedule a meeting with the RETC team during RE+, contact info@retc-ca.com.
RETC draws on a global network and more than 100 years of testing and certification expertise. The VDE Group tests over 100,000 products annually and monitors more than 7,000 production facilities in over 50 countries.
About RETC, part of the VDE Group
RETC is an independent testing and certification laboratory specializing in solar and energy storage products. Since 2009, renewable energy manufacturers, developers, financiers, and independent engineers have relied on RETC to generate trusted, third-party data for evaluating product performance, reliability, and bankability. Headquartered in Fremont, Calif., with facilities in Tempe, Ariz., RETC is part of the VDE Group and supports global testing and certification efforts across the energy transition and an expanding range of market segments.
By providing independent, defensible data for photovoltaic (PV) modules, inverters, battery energy storage components, and racking products, RETC helps reduce friction across operational functions. From technical diligence and stakeholder alignment to accelerated market adoption of proven technologies, RETC results and reports inform stakeholders on what products are suitable for large-scale renewable energy deployment. Specifically, the company’s Thresher Test Program is widely utilized to assess the long-term durability of solar panel technologies and to inform procurement, financing, and insurance decisions.
For more information, visit www.retc-ca.com.
About VDE
VDE, one of the largest technology organizations in Europe, has been regarded as a synonym for innovation and technological progress for more than 130 years. VDE is the only organization in the world that combines science, standardization, testing, certification, and application consulting under one umbrella. The VDE mark has been synonymous with the highest safety standards and consumer protection for more than 100 years.
Our passion is the advancement of technology, the next generation of engineers and technologists, and lifelong learning and career development “on the job”. Within the VDE network more than 2,000 employees at over 60 locations worldwide, more than 100,000 honorary experts, and around 1,500 companies are dedicated to ensuring a future worth living: networked, digital, electrical. Shaping the e-dialistic future.
The VDE (VDE Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies) is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. For more information, visit www.vde.com
Media contact
Jenna Landgraf | Technica Communications for RETC | retc@technica.inc
