The Bearings and Tolerance Rings Group at Saint-Gobain designs composite bearings solutions that withstand harsh vibration, improve efficiency, extend performance and reduce operational downtime in both solar energy and wind turbine applications. As part of its strategic focus in renewable energy markets, Saint-Gobain has added the design engineering expertise of Industrial Global Market Manager, Edward

Why Should You Not Use Counterfeit Solar Connectors?
In the last few years, the PV industry has been under a lot of pressure to reduce costs. In an effort to capitalize on this situation, many solar connector and junction box counterfeits have appeared in the market. Furthermore, some companies advertise compatibility across different connector brands. For industry experts, this is clearly a high

Compression Connectors Have Slotted Bolt Hole
ILSCO, North American manufacturer of electrical connectors, introduces its SureCrimp copper compression connectors with a slotted bolt hole in the tang. The slot in the tang of type CSLT connectors offers the installer flexibility in the field in that the series satisfies hole spacing requirements from 5/8” – 1” which will reduce inventory requirements. The
Connectors Provide Flexible Drilling Of Solar Mounting Holes
ILSCO, manufacturer of electrical connectors, has expanded its offering of SureCrimp copper compression connectors to include long blank tang configurations with a sight hole. The blank tang affords installers flexibility for special drilling of mounting holes to meet certain requirements. SureCrimp connectors are made from high grade copper, providing a reliable, highly conductive, low heat

Pre-Insulated Connectors For Solar
ILSCO has made enhancements to its NIMBUS4FLEX line of pre-insulated solar connectors. Three new configurations (shapes) have been added to the line and include an X, T, and L. With the exclusive and unique configurations of these new “shapes”, NIMBUS4FLEX now has the greatest flexibility of any pre-insulated connector series on the market today. These

Multipole Connector for Solar Installations
Advanced Power Products says its Solar SPEC PakR has been certified to the BS EN 50521 Standard. The manufacturer says the environmentally sealed connector was the first multipole connector to achieve UL approval under UL6703A for North American applications. It has now earned certification to European standard BS EN 50521 by passing all the harsh mechanical,

PV Security Bolt Helps Stop Solar Panel Theft
Fastener Technology says it has received many requests from customers for a low-cost solution to the growing problem of photovoltaic panel theft. Many approaches have been tried at solar installations to deter theft, including fencing and costly alarm systems. A thief intent on stealing photovoltaic solar panels has to somehow get past the bolts securing the

Colored Wire Eliminates Need for Marking in Solar Projects
General Cable (NYSE: BGC), a manufacturer of cable for solar applications, offers its SunGen PV UL 4703 wire. The wire is available in an array of sunlight-resistant solid colors in all gauge sizes. Recent changes to the National Electric Code (NEC) require that photovoltaic (PV) source, output and solar inverter circuits must be identified at

First Multi-Pin Connector To Meet PV Requirements
Anderson Power Products, manufacturer of interconnect solutions, says its Solar SPEC Pak is the first multi-pin connector to meet the photovoltaic industry requirements specified in UL 6703A, passing the same harsh environmental tests used to qualify solar panels. The SPEC Pak has power handling capabilities up to 1000 volts and features a locking latch that

Adhesives 101
An adhesive is a substance that unites or bonds surfaces together. In the solar industry, adhesives are used throughout the process of manufacturing and installation. Thin-film solar panels (see page 296), in particular, need adhesives around the edges because they typically don’t have frames to protect them. They need an additional moisture barrier called a









