SUNSPEC CERTIFICATION

SUNSPEC CERTIFIED™ PROGRAMS

The SunSpec Certified™ mark is designed to instill buyer confidence in the products of SunSpec Alliance member companies by establishing objective criteria for verifying the compliance of communication interfaces. Industry stakeholders across the globe consult the SunSpec Certification Registry to identify products that conform to their high standards, thereby supporting procurement decisions grounded in reliability and interoperability.

The SunSpec Certified™ mark culminates 15 years of developing de facto standards that enable solar PV and energy storage systems to interoperate transparently with system components, software applications, financial systems and the smart grid. The program provides DER interoperability, data communications, cybersecurity functionality standards, and fire safety aligned with international and U.S. protocols, to accelerate industry growth, lower costs and enhance customer confidence.

Initial DER communication compliance programs addressed by the SunSpec Certified™ program—through its network of Authorized Test Laboratories and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) partners—include the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standard (IEEE) 2030.5™/Common Smart Inverter Profile (CSIP), which serves as the default communication standard for California Rule 21; the SunSpec Communication Signal for Rapid Shutdown, a de facto standard used to meet the PV hazard control requirements of the National Electrical Code®; and the SunSpec Modbus interface, which has been updated to align with the data exchange and interoperability requirements defined in IEEE 1547-2018. The SunSpec Certified™ program takes a holistic approach to compliance testing, cybersecurity, results reporting, and quality control. This end-to-end framework ensures that certified products meet the highest standards of reliability, security, and performance.

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SUNSPEC 2030.5 / CSIP

California Rule 21 requires that Distributed Energy Resources in Investor Owned Utility regions must utilize the IEEE™ 2030.5-2018 networking standard in the manner described in the Common Smart Inverter Profile (CSIP). The test specification for this certification is the SunSpec Common Smart Inverter Profile Conformance Test Procedure.

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SUNSPEC RAPID SHUTDOWN

The SunSpec Certified program for Rapid Shutdown verifies compliance to the SunSpec Communication Signal for Rapid Shutdown Functional Specification to meet the requirement established by National Electrical Code (NEC) 2017.

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SUNSPEC MODBUS

SunSpec Modbus is an open standard, referenced in IEEE™ 1547-2018, that enables interoperability amongst DER system components, including power conversion devices (inverters), batteries, meters and other sub-system components.

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SUNSPEC MODBUS FOR 1547

Certifying your product to the SunSpec Modbus for IEEE 1547 standard is the simplest and most important step you can take to reduce the time needed for IEEE 1547.1-2020 clause 6 interoperability testing and for achieving UL 1741 SB compliance.

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DER DEVICE CYBERSECURITY

The IEEE 1547-2018 standard requires that Distributed Energy Resources (DER) must communicate over public- and private networks using Internet protocols. When considering DER deployment risk, cybersecurity considerations rise to the top of the list. SunSpec Cybersecurity standards set the baseline for device cybersecurity protection and should be considered fundamental for DER manufacturers. These standards are harmonized with and complimentary to IEC 62443-4-2, UL 2941, IEEE 1547.3, and state standards such as those proposed in California.

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Get Sunspec Certified™

By certifying your product to a SunSpec standard, it will be featured in a public database of products from leading manufacturers, making it easily identifiable to installers, grid operators, and regulatory authorities. SunSpec Certification testing is conducted primarily by SunSpec Authorized Test Laboratories, which charge their own fee. SunSpec Alliance also offers the SunSpec Express Test service for SunSpec Modbus for IEEE 1547 Certification.

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JOIN THE SUNSPEC ECOSYSTEM

SunSpec Alliance members save $5,000 on certification fees. SunSpec Alliance membership costs $5,000 annually and provides access to $50,000 in benefits. SunSpec Alliance members gain a competitive edge by influencing standards creation, accelerating market entry, and securing the credibility that attracts funding and partnerships. Companies in our network have unlocked millions in investment and eliminated costly integration barriers, simply by being part of the right alliance.

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Sunspec 2030.5/CSIP

California Rule 21 requires that DERs in Investor Owned Utility regions must utilize the IEEE™ 2030.5 networking standard in the manner described in the Common Smart Inverter Profile (CSIP). The test specification for this certification is the SunSpec CSIP Conformance Test Procedure publication. In 2025, the California Public Utilities Commission chose SunSpec to continue managing the CSIP Conformance Test Procedures.

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SUNSPEC CERTIFIED™ PROGRAM COMPONENTS

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Communication protocol interoperability testing by Sunspec Authorized Testing Laboratories.

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Security compliance testing.

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Security certificate provisioning (PKI).

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Continuous improvement and development of all of the previous.

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Open source system validation and testing tools.

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Certified Product Registry with API.

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