Popularity for solar energy continues to rise and in recent times, small scale solar farms are starting to be built in our local communities, as highlighted with the recent installation of the community co-funded 3M solar farm project in Nowra, NSW consisting of 8,000 solar panels and is leading the way as the first grid-scale solar PV project that was connected to the Endeavour Energy network.
What is a DC Combiner box?
Solar panels are generally installed in long rows to form a string, and each string has cables that are required to be connected to the inverter. Depending on where the inverter is installed, these cables could be quiet long in length, and by running them directly to the inverter puts them at risk of damage as well as adding additional power losses into the system.
To reduce these power losses and to provide over voltage and over current protection points, multiple strings can be combined into the one enclosure, a DC Combiner box. As well as providing fuse and surge protection, a DC combiner can provide a simple isolation point for routine maintenance for field staff. By placing the DC combiner under the panel like shown in the below photo, helps to keeps them out of the direct weather and reduces the long-term solar effects on the assembly.
Introducing IPD’s DC Combiners
An IPD DC Combiner box is an assembly constructed locally from a range of standard components in our Wetherill Park premises in Sydney, NSW. Our team has the ability to customise these boxes to your specific requirements.
Our standard DC combiners are made from the following market leading components, ensuring the longevity of the DC combiner on your solar project:
| Enclosures |
ABB Aria reinforced polyester to IP66 |
| Fuse gear |
Fuse-links and bases from Mersen in France. |
| Surge |
Dehn a global manufacturer and specialist in surge protection |
| Isolators |
ABB OTDC series and Telergon S6N series tested for DC-PV2 ratings |
In addition to using high quality European components, at IPD we can provide temperature rise verification to AS 61439, if required. Our expert Engineering team can verify the enclosure temperature based on the system power losses in accordance to AS 60890.
For more information on the DC Combiner Box, contact your local IPD representative on 1300 556 601 or customerservice@ipd.com.au