Best Practice Guide
Cable management
Protect cables from any damage through friction or
stress. Using a cable raceway or conduit is a good method
of providing this protection.
To ensure longevity, connectors must be protected from
humidity as much as possible:
• Shield connectors by placing them directly beneath the
panel so water cannot fall on the connection
• Ensure cables and connectors do not hang loose or that
they are not moved around by wind
• When securing cables, ensure they are held firm, but do
not overtighten, as this may deform the insulation.
Best practice is to secure the cable ~ mm either side
of the connectors (Fig. ). Fastening the connector itself
may damage the protection afforded by the connector
shell.
Ensure sufficient air circulation around connectors
Keeping humidity away from electronic connections is
also important. Solar panel connectors must not be le to
stand in permanent or regularly occurring pools of water.
Fig. : Fastening of the connector tight to the mounting structure can cause
moisture build up between connector and rail, damaging the connection
Further good practice is to ensure that the cable exits the
junction box in as straight a line as possible, before a bend
(Fig. ). Cables exiting the junction box at extreme angles
apply force to the surrounding construction; this can
create small fissures in the casing and allow the ingress
of water and dirt into the junction box.
Fig. : Example of cable exiting the juction box at an extreme angle
Cuing of cables and re-crimping connectors
Some regions have specific regulations regarding the
compatibility of connectors. Installers are responsible
for ensuring the compliancy of the system with local
regulations. Additionally, these connectors must fulfill
all technical specifications of the factory-mounted
connector and have to be certified according to
the required standards for each region or country.
REC panels are supplied with MC -type design connectors
as standard. To ensure connector compatibility and reduce
the potential for damage to the solar modules and wider
installation, REC recommends that mated connectors are
from the same manufacturer and of the same connector
type.
Fig. : List of compatible connectors
Connector 1 + Connector 2 Permied?
REC Factory-Installed +
REC Factory-
Installed
REC Factory-Installed + Stäubli MC
REC Factory-Installed +
Any other
connector
The mounting of the connector must be carried out by a
qualified and certified expert. All changes to the original
state of the module should be limited and only be done
in exceptional circumstances. If connectors ever need
replacing, it is critical that replacements are correctly
installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
The REC product warranty is not voided by changing
the connector. Any type of failure or malfunction due to
inadequate or incorrect mounting of the connector is
excluded from REC’s product warranty.
Cable bending
The cables used by REC have a minimum bend radius of
mm. This means the diameter of the complete bend in the
cable may not be less than mm from the inside of the
bend to the facing inside bend as shown in Fig ..
This protects the cable and insulation from undue stress.
Bending the cable compresses the insulation on the inside
and stretches the material on the outside of the bend.
Anything less than the minimum bend radius can weaken
the cable insulation and allow moisture to penetrate and
corrode the insulation and cable.
Fig. : Examples of incorrect and correct bend of cable on exiting junction box