Stäubli recently introduced large-format photovoltaic (PV) cable connectors that are designed for carrying high current in harsh and outdoor environments in the PV energy and EV industries. They are reportedly the first large-format connectors to be fully cULus listed to UL6703 and CSA C22.2 182.5. (Photo: Stäubli Electrical Connectors/PRNewswire)
Stäubli’s new connectors are designed to carry high current in harsh and outdoor environments.
WINDSOR, Calif.—Large-format photovoltaic (PV) cable connectors that are manufactured domestically by Stäubli Electrical Connectors are reported to address a critical need for the North American PV industry.
Until now, the industry has lacked connectors that are certified as safe for use with large-diameter and high-power trunk cables in large-scale applications involving harsh and outdoor environments, according to a release from Stäubli.
To meet this need, Stäubli’s new BosCon connectors are designed for carrying high current in harsh and outdoor environments in the PV energy and electric vehicle (EV) industries. In a company release, Stäubli described the connectors as “the first to be fully cULus listed to UL6703 and CSA C22.2 182.5, “Connectors for use in Photovoltaic Systems.”
The BosCon connectors are specifically designed for electrical balance of systems (eBOS) trunk cables, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and EV charging systems, the company said in the release.
“We designed the BosCon line to help address a need within the North American PV market to make large format cable connections as both pre-made leads by harness suppliers and by installers in the field,” said Stäubli Head of Renewable Energy North America, Brian Mills, in the release. “In doing so, the new, connectors ensure safety and reliability while simplifying installation and maintenance.”
According to Stäubli, the full BosCon line is “designed to confidently seal, strain relieve, and terminate with both low (Class B) and high strand count, low and high flexible copper PV cable,” It features what the company describes as a unique coding system that allows for seven different mechanically-keyed and color-coded rings on the socket and plug ends that can be determined at the time of assembly. This helps prevent the significant risks inherent in cross-mating of poles or phases. “It’s also potentially catastrophic to mate connectors from different manufacturers, including those which claim to be “Stäubli compatible,” the company said.
The new connectors are reported to be “fully cULus listed for both factory and field installation with 3/0 AWG through 500 MCM Copper cables with a maximum ampacity rating of 620 A at 1500V AC/DC.”
The BosCon OPC16 is not only designed to handle large trunk cables in utility-scale systems. It is AC and DC rated at 1500 V and can also be used in the effective design and installation of EV storage/charging systems, according to the release.
Stäubli’s Mills said in an April release that the company is planning to steadily increase its made-in-America products at its manufacturing facilities in California and South Carolina. In the coming months, Stäubli expects to roll out additional new products that include solutions for combiner boxes, panel receptacles, and central inverters, as well as two more couplers.