The ABB Low Voltage Products offers switches from 100 to 360 Amperes for photovoltaic systems. The company says these are the first two-pole disconnect switches to reach a 1000 VDC rating per UL 98B. This arc suppression keep performance and safety high, says ABB, occupying up to 50% less space while saving energy and reducing wiring costs when compared to switches currently available for solar applications. Previously, switches for photovoltaic applications required up to six poles wired in series in order to break 1000 VDC. Achieving the 1000 VDC rating with a compact, two pole configuration provides the ideal switch for the solar industry, designed for use in combiner-boxes for disconnecting individual arrays, and at the inverter input for disconnecting the inverter from the DC side. UL 98B covers enclosed and dead-front switches rated up to 1000 VDC, intended for use in DC photovoltaic systems.
Additional features of the new 1000 VDC switch family include:
§ Bi-Polarity Operation: break both the positive and negative lines at the same time or utilize pre-configured versions with two poles wired in series to break just the positive or negative line.
§ Integrated Heat Sink: pre-configured versions with two poles wired in series utilize a custom-designed jumper with integrated heat sink, resulting in cooler operation and longer switch life.
§ Modular Design: for the flexibility to use in diverse applications the new switch is available with the mechanism mounted between the poles or to either side of the poles. A special four pole version is available for double circuit applications, allowing the breaking of two separate PV strings with a single switch.
§ Visible Blade Technology: visible contacts provide safe and reliable quick-make, quick-break operation.
“The solar industry has been demanding a high performance, two pole disconnect switch at the 1000 VDC rating for several years,” said Allen Austin, ABB renewable energy industry manager, North America. “We challenged our team to develop such a product per UL 98B guidelines and we are pleased to be the first electrical component manufacturer to do so.”
ABB will be featuring the new 1000 VDC switches and a broad range of products for the solar power market at Intersolar 2012, booth #8041, July 10 -12 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
