As part of our Wire and Cable Management Buyer’s Guide, we asked manufacturers for some installation tips. Here is what they had to say. Working off the roof. Installers are still doing most of the wire management assembly once they are up on the roof. We have seen several installersRead More

One of the most impressive things about walking around (at least most) utility-scale PV sites, is how neat, orderly, and consistent the cable management is. Unfortunately though this might be covering up some of the issues that happened during the install phase. Issues that create weak points and compromised components,Read More

Wire and cable management decisions can seem small, but they have both short- and long-term ramifications, from boosting installation efficiencies and cutting site-prep costs to reducing O&M burdens and improving a project’s levelized cost of energy (LCOE). We reached out to providers of wire and cable management systems for residentialRead More

Product choice has been an issue with rapid shutdown requirements since the NEC 2017 update, but that tide is starting to turn. Six additional members within the SunSpec Alliance ranks have announced products and services supporting the SunSpec Communication Signal for Rapid Shutdown standard, bringing the size of the SunSpecRead More

  As multiple data collection shows, DC cabling is 1% of the total project cost, but it is also the number one source of technical failures in PV projects and greatly affects the LCOE and safety of your project. Stäubli would like to share our 20 years of experience inRead More

We asked wire management and electrical component providers to tell us about their latest and greatest products (inverters will be broken out into their own Buyer’s Guide next month). Trends in eBOS components right now include AC combiners, above ground cable management and heavy-duty clamps. Check them all out below.Read More

Stäubli has provided connection technology to the global solar industry since the beginning (it’s impossible to imagine the market without it, really), and the evolution of its product line continues to move right along with all of the changes in the solar market itself. The original MC4 is no longerRead More

We humans have a lot in common with wires. We are vessels of energy and information that need grounding for stability. When put in situations that best suit our skillsets, we thrive. We are also prone to getting tangled up, stuck in our own way. We can be fragile. WeRead More

1. Cross-mating Cross-mating, which refers to the plugging of connectors from different manufacturers (between modules to optimizers/microinverters, modules to field-connectors, optimizers to field connectors or field connectors to the BOS system) is one of the most common PV wiring mistakes. In fact, the EU-funded Solar Bankability Project’s Failure Modes andRead More