William, What do you think about the reliability of the Tyco AC connectors used in the Enphase system? Mark Frye Berkeley Solar Electric Systems 303 Redbud Way Nevada City, CA 95959 (530) 401-8024 <http://www.berkeleysolar.com/> www.berkeleysolar.com
_____ From: re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of William Miller Sent: Friday, November 13, 2009 12:04 AM To: RE-wrenches Subject: [RE-wrenches] Enphase installation details Colleagues: We are in the middle of our first Enphase installation. I have been working closely with the crew on this project and dedicated extra time because we knew we needed to develop some new procedures to accommodate the new technology. My most surprising realization is that with the Enphase inverters, the roof-top wiring now has two levels of unprotected wiring, DC and AC. I have been working on an analogy for the recent evolution of PV wiring standards and the best I can come up with is that the new norm is akin to wiring a rooftop air conditioning unit with SO and USE. Flexible cords are more suited to portable, consumer connectable appliances in non-harsh environments. We wrestled with two issues: How to secure the AC wiring with a minimum 10 year longevity -- and how to secure the DC wiring with the same life expectancy. In a previous career I worked in the telecommunications industry. In a telcom facility we had access to many layers of wire routing hardware and systems. The PV industry has, in my opinion, largely ignored wire management. Ironically, telecom wiring is low voltage in an industrial setting and we can secure it systematically, whereas PV wiring is high voltage, often in a residential setting, outdoors, in high temperature and wet conditions and yet we are relegated to the ubiquitous and fragile cable tie as our prime methodology. It is our corporate position that the plastic cable tie can not be counted on for longer that two years in an under-PV environment and, since we wire for a minimum 10 year life expectancy, the plastic cable tie is not suitable. Over the course of two days we developed robust and efficient techniques for securing the AC and DC wiring. I'd love to share our procedures with this group, but due to extreme competition in our area, I must of necessity keep any procedures that give us a competitive advantage confidential. This is unfortunate as my inclination is to teach, but it is a reality in this business climate. I hope the industry can eventually recognize some of these short comings. The solar water industry died an early death because of economic pressures and shoddy workmanship. It is possible that the solar electric industry of today can suffer some of the same if we can't preform to higher standards. William Miller Please note new e-mail address and domain: William Miller Miller Solar Voice :805-438-5600 Fax: 805-438-4607 email: will...@millersolar.com http://millersolar.com <http://millersolar.com/> License No. C-10-773985
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