As an early adopter of solar PV systems, Germany was recognized as the leader in solar installations for a decade until 2015, when it was overtaken by China.In 2012, China’s solar installations began to grow rapidly, and by 2017, the total number of new solar installations in China even exceeded the combined total of the nine major countries behind it. At the same time, the relatively new Japan and the United States have overtaken Germany and have been following at a much higher rate of installation. The data show that today there is a global race to introduce incentives for renewable energy. As a result, specifiers, buyers, cable distributors and manufacturers must take care to use products that meet international and local standards to ensure that what is offered is commercially applicable.
Cable manufacturers wishing to penetrate the solar market should carefully consider end-user requirements when designing their cables, as the standards used to verify cable quality will be specific to different types of materials. As mentioned above, BS EN 50618 applies only to LSHF cable products, while IEC 62930 allows production without these materials, which can guide manufacturers in identifying which of their existing product categories are most suitable for a particular market. Product design and production decisions are made based on the specifications that the cable product needs to meet and the most popular standards in the market.
For example, if the buildings in the selected market have a high risk of fire, or if the cable product will be installed in an enclosed space, the LSHF cable product should be used to minimize the risk of exposure of building occupants to toxic fumes and gases in a fire. Conversely, if the cable product is designed for use on the exterior of a building, as is the case with many photovoltaic cable products, the requirements for the cable product have changed. In this case, pvc may be considered a more suitable material to use because it has higher abrasion resistance and durability than LSHF.
With the passage of time and the rapid development of knowledge, we have seen a great improvement in the quality and performance of cables for the solar industry. However, in recent years, certain aspects have not been as good as expected, so as the industry continues to evolve, we can also expect the technology used to manufacture the cables to continue to advance to ensure a reliable product comes to market.
Post time: Jul-04-2023
