JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd., one of the world's manufacturers of high-performance solar power products, and the VDE Testing and Certification Institute, one of the world’s providers of high-quality testing and certification services, announced that they have launched a strategic partnership to increase understanding of the importance of cutting-edge quality assurance and technical bankability in the solar industry.

JA Solar and the VDE Institute, which works closely with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), agree that current certification processes based on existing international standards are not stringent enough to provide a meaningful measure of long-term solar module reliability and performance. They believe this has resulted in the perceived commoditization of what are in fact highly differentiated products. This initiative aims to address this misperception by raising awareness of the influence of technical bankability not just on product performance, but also on the ability of solar power plant investors and end users to realize anticipated financial returns.

"The VDE Institute is internationally recognized for its commitment to the highest quality standards, and we're delighted to be partnering with them on such a forward-thinking initiative," said Mr. Jian Xie, COO of JA Solar. "We share their confidence that in the long term the solar industry will benefit from a deeper understanding of the importance of bankability in the market. The dependability of JA Solar's products and services are the foundation of the superior value proposition we offer our customers."