Affordable Wire Management (AWM), a provider of solar cable management systems (CMS), achieved a 630amp rating from the Renewable Energy Test Center (RETC), a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL). AWM says its CMS is the first in the industry to achieve a 630amp rating, which means it can support Sungrow’s recently released 4.4 MW SG4400UD-MV modular inverter in North America.
Sungrow’s 4.4 MW inverter is a “new frontier for utility-scale solar design, says Mikhail (Naveed) Hasan, Sungrow’s Vice President of Strategy and Marketing. “By installing our inverters, developers can decrease the overall LCOE as fewer inverters per megawatt are required.”
That is more true thanks to AWM cable management systems rated to 630amps. “The increased requirements are managed safely since their all-metal CMS are bonded and rated up to 630amps,” Hasan says.
AWM CMS ratings
AWM’s solutions meet the IEEE and NEC requirements for bonding excessive bare metal that is likely to be energized. They are also rated to comply with UL2703, the Standard for Mounting Systems, Mounting Devices, Clamping/Retention Devices, and Ground Lugs for Use with Flat-Plate Photovoltaic Modules and Panels. Other alternatives, including polymetric (plastic) hangers, sidestep this important standard because they lack a bonded metal-on-metal connection.
The RETC evaluated AWM’s CMS, including the hangers, beyond the maximum 200amp current rating defined by UL2703, to achieve a bonding rating of 630amps. This meets the overcurrent capacity of Sungrow’s latest inverters for utility-scale solar projects, with the increased fuse capacity of 630amps.
“Utility-scale wire management carry and route dozens of electrical cables for up to 40 years, so selecting the right eBOS components is crucial to long-term power plant reliability. O+M teams, owners and operators are already learning the hard way that plastic will degrade over the 40+ year lifespan of a project. Plant owners are inevitably forced to invest time and money replacing them – an unfortunate, inefficient and costly outcome of using plastic,” remarked Scott Rand, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at AWM.
By providing all-metal solutions, AWM’s offerings support the most cutting-edge technological advances and designs in the utility-scale solar industry.
“The developers, EPCs and EORs we work with, as well as the owner/operators, all experience the very real benefits of reduced construction costs, enhanced safety, consistent power plant performance and increased longevity,” Rand says.
Designed for utility-scale solar projects, AWM’s comprehensive CMS includes the Arden Messenger Cable Hanger, the Bonsai Module Cable Hanger, and the Solar LOTO lock-out solution. AWM’s expanded hardware offerings, announced in early 2024, include the HELIOS Beam Rod and the PHOTON Toolkit.
— Solar Builder magazine
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