Solar cable is the interconnection cable used in photovoltaic power generation. A solar cable interconnects solar panels and other electrical components in the photovoltaic system. Solar cables are designed to be UV resistant and weather

Weather

Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...

 resistant. It can be used within a large temperature range and are generally laid outside.

Features

One common factor for most of the photovoltaic power systems is outdoor use, characterized by high temperatures and high UV radiation. Single-core cables with a maximum permissible DC voltage of 1.8 kV and a temperature range from -40°C to +90°C are generally used. A three-core AC cable is used for connection to the grid if a single-phase inverter is used, and a five-core cable is used for three-phase feed-in.

Mechanical features

A metal mesh encasing the cables improves mechanical strength in addition to improving shielding

Shielded cable

A shielded or screened cable is an electrical cable of one or more insulated conductors enclosed by a common conductive layer. The shield may be composed of braided strands of copper , a non-braided spiral winding of copper tape, or a layer of conducting polymer. Usually, this shield is covered...

 and overvoltage

Overvoltage

When the voltage in a circuit or part of it is raised above its upper design limit, this is known as overvoltage. The conditions may be hazardous...

 protection. Solar cables are flexible in order to reduce the risk of damage to the conductors at the time of installation. Almost all materials used in the cable are halogen-free, flame resistant and fire retardant. No corrosive gases will be released in case of fire and the smoke density is low. The conductors are also tinned to lower the risk of corrosion and poor connections over an extended period of time.

Insulation

The cable's insulation must be able to withstand thermal and mechanical loads. As a consequence, plastics which have been cross-linked using an electron beam are increasingly used today. The insulation and jacket materials are extremely resistant to weathering, UV-radiation and abrasion. Additionally, it is salt water resistant and resistant to acids and alkaline solutions. It is suitable for fixed installation as well as for moving applications without tensile load. It is especially designed for outdoor use, which means direct sun radiation and air humidity, but due to the halogen free flame retardant cross-linked jacket material the cable can also be installed in dry and humid conditions indoors.

DC connection

Individual modules are connected using cables to form the PV generator. The module cables are connected into a string which leads into the generator junction box, and a main DC cable connects the generator junction box to the inverter. In order to eliminate the risk of ground faults and short circuits, the positive and negative cables, each with double insulation, are laid separately.

Loss minimization

The cross-section of the cables should be proportioned such that losses incurred in nominal operation do not exceed 1%. String cables usually have a cross-section of four to six square millimeters.

UL4703 standard

In 2005 the American Underwriters Laboratories (UL) published the UL subject 4703 Photovoltaic Wire. It covers singleconductor, insulated and integrally or non-integrally jacketed, sunlight resistant, photovoltaic wire in several temperature and voltage ratings for interconnection wiring of grounded and ungrounded photovoltaic power systems. The standard UL 4703 is based on the service entry cords USE-2 and specifies some additional requirements for photovoltaic cables. It applies for solar cables in North America.