PV Powered Announces First UL98 Code-Compliant PV System Disconnect
PV Powered, Inc. announced that a new installer-friendly feature has been added to its line of residential solar inverters. The new feature is a single-knob ac-dc disconnect with a wire raceway. This enhancement, integrated into the company’s inverters, is said to eliminate the need for extra conduit and hardware, thereby saving installation materials and labor costs.
The wire raceway provides for isolation of the dc, ac and low voltage dc connections per the NEC (National Electric Code) requirements, with generous working room for installers’ hands and tools. The PV system disconnect hardware and enclosure assembly has received extensive testing under extreme conditions, and is the first to have passed the strict UL 98 standard for switches. The UL98 standard is specifically written for enclosed and dead front switches, providing inspectors with a recognized standard for safety and reliability.
"We have been waiting for PV Powered to add an integrated disconnect, and I have to say it was well worth the wait," said Kirk Mulligan, CEO of Clean Power Systems, a Southern California solar installer. "Their new solution delivers the level of engineering elegance and reliability that we have come to expect from them."
The new integrated PV system disconnect feature has been added to PV Powered’s entire residential string inverter line, which includes nine different inverter models, ranging from 1100 to 5200W in capacity. In addition to providing for a single point of connection from the utility service and PV array, the integration of a wire raceway greatly simplifies installation. The wire raceway enables flush side to side mounting of inverters with no extra equipment, providing a cleaner looking installation than any other available today. The wire raceway’s optimized knockout locations provide options for side bottom and back entry with minimized conduit bending, accommodating the conductors of up to four inverters mounted side-by-side.
"We are committed to making our residential inverters the most installer-friendly products in the industry," said Erick Petersen, VP of Sales and Marketing at PV Powered. "But beyond that, we’ve engineered the level of functionality and then performed the additional reliability testing that you have come to expect from PV Powered."
