4th PV Magazine Quality Roudtable

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Oscar Hutchinson
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1 Advanced Contact Technology 4th PV Magazine Quality Roudtable Las Vegas, 14th of September 2016

2 Who we are Multi-Contact is a leading international manufacturer of electrical contacts and connection systems The company was founded in Basel, Switzerland in 1962, and has been part of the Stäubli Group since 2002 Stäubli provides innovative mechatronics solutions in four dedicated divisions: Electrical Connectors, Fluid Connectors, Robotics and Textile With a global workforce of over 4,500 employees, the Group has a presence spanning 25 countries, and a network of agents in over 50 countries Company Profile

3 Stäubli Group s Worldwide Presence Units Agents Unternehmensprofil

4 MC Sites 6 Multi-Contact manufacturing sites located in 5 countries 10 additional Multi-Contact sales units worldwide Switzerland World Headquarters Allschwil-Basel Germany Essen Germany Weil am Rhein China Hangzhou France Hésingue USA Windsor, CA

5 MC4 the most used and tested PV connector Proven quality and durability more than 1 billion times More than 50 years of experience with the unique MULTILAM technology MULTILAM contact elements are the core of all MC connectors

MC PV Product History 2002 1996 2011 MC3 market introduction

units sold MC4-EVO 3 market introduction > 10 Mio.

6 MC PV Product History MC3 market introduction > 100 Mio. units sold MC4 market introduction > 1 Billion. units sold MC4-EVO 3 market introduction > 10 Mio. units sold More than 120GW succesfully connected Pioneer in PV connection solutions. Creator of the original MC3 and MC4 connector. Trend-setter with our products. More than 15 companies copied the MC3

Multi-Contact, Your Strong Partner Over 50 Years

PV-contact technology Millions of reliable products

System Provider with a complete portfolio from the

UL recognized products Quality is MC s main focus with

7 Multi-Contact, Your Strong Partner Over 50 Years experience in contact technology More than 24 Years in PV-contact technology Millions of reliable products field installed Market Leader in DC PV Connectors PV System Provider with a complete portfolio from the module to the inverter #1 TÜV certified, CSA listed & UL recognized products Quality is MC s main focus with all products 21 Units worldwide to offer the best customer service

8 System-relevant products Importance of the components for a module and PV system The components of a PV system such as cables, connectors and junction boxes have been and are still the most critical components. This is the result of different studies These components only make up 1.5 2% of the total overall cost. Price savings among these components are rarely more than 20 25% Opportunity to reduce total overall cost of only 0.002% by using cheaper components BUT increasing safety risk, decreasing efficiency of PV power plant

9 Testing beyond qualifications & climatic test More and more customers perform a test beyond TÜV qualifications Example: Q-Cells DH 2000, DH 3000 & HF 30 Trina MC4 after DH 2000 (MC4) Solarworld MC4-EVO 3 after DH 3000 & MC4 DH 2000 Move of the PV Market in different climatic zones Puerto Rico: Biggest PV-Plant of the Caribbean At the Fidji-Islands newest solarproject.all 4 islands are inside the Taifun area

Be aware of counterfeit connectors Original MC4

unique MULTILAM Technology Proven quality and

with the MC4 MULTILAM contact elements are the

look-alike Connectors Inferior and unknown

=> Lower return on investment Crossmating => no

Compatibility between connectors from different

10 Be aware of counterfeit connectors Original MC4 More than 50 years of experience with the unique MULTILAM Technology Proven quality and durability several 100 million times since 2004 with the MC4 MULTILAM contact elements are the heart of all MC connectors Copy / MC4 look-alike Connectors Inferior and unknown quality Risk of fire Higher contact resistance => Lower return on investment Crossmating => no international certification => no warranty Compatibility between connectors from different manufacturers is not validated by the certification authorities (UL, TÜV)

11 Difference between high quality & low quality connector performance The long term contact resistance has a significant influence on the return on investment. Give your calculations of ROI a chance. The MC4 makes it more predictable! ordinary connector MC4 connector

12 Potential source of the failures 1. Low quality connector 2. Crossmaiting - Couterfeit MC4 3. Improper Assembly & Tooling

13 Crossmating: Missing Certification UL Certification only valid for mated connectors from the same manufacturer. ( These devices have only been assessed for UL Recognition with specific types of mated connectors within their product family. They have not been assessed to operate with any other similar devices from any other manufacturer. ) UTE C : French installation guide (mandatory application since 2011) To guarantee connection quality, and avoid risk of electric arc, each set of connectors male and female must be of the same type and brand. ( Sur la partie d.c., les connecteurs utilisés doivent être conformes à la NF EN Pour garantir la qualité de la connexion et limiter les risques d arc électrique pouvant créer des incendies, chaque couple de connecteurs mâle femelle à assembler doit être de même type et même marque. ) AS/NZS 5033:2012: Australian installation and safety requirements for PV arrays Connectors are mated with connectors of the same type from the same manufacturer.

( Compatibility of PV-connectors can be currently confirmed only for products of the same series from the same manufacturer.

14 Crossmating missing certification TÜV Rheinland TÜV Rheinland is warning due to the risk of fire in case of interoperability of connectors (see talk of R. Brück, TÜV Modultagung, November 2012). ( Compatibility of PV-connectors can be currently confirmed only for products of the same series from the same manufacturer. Beside others, due to these insecure circumstances with combined PV-connectors from different manufacturers, inspectors of PV-plants are requested to reject such combinations. )

Crossmating: Field Experience Crossmating is mostly

system Insulation fault, error indication at inverter,

well as corrosion in J-Box and module (water ingress)

15 Crossmating: Field Experience Crossmating is mostly found at the end of the string connection to the system Insulation fault, error indication at inverter, danger of electrical shock Corrosion of contacts as well as corrosion in J-Box and module (water ingress) Scorching, risk of fire junction box back side of a solar module

16 Resistance [ ] Mismating: Lab Results Mismating (initial) +21K % Competitor A +0K +10K +15K Competitor B Competitor C +185% % +50% +11K MC4 MC4 (initial) 2 initial after TCT & DHT Initial resistance measurement (EN ) Temperature cycle test (-40 C/+85 C, 200x) (EN50521) Damp Heat (85 C/85%, 1000h) (EN50521) Resistance measurement (EN ) R +50%

17 Resistance [ ] Mismating: Lab Results Competitor A Competitor B Competitor C +330% >+97K % +75% +31K 4 2 initial after TCT & DHT +26K Possible reason: untight connectors in case of mismating e.g. IP6X EN K +10K +25K +40K

18 Crimping: Lab Results Pull out force: 454N Gas tightness Long-term durability Demand of IEC : pull out force (4mm 2 ) >310N Pull out force: 94N No gas tightness corrosion, danger of electrical shock & fire

19 Thank you for your attention! Our attention to detail builds trust. And trust builds best results. Contact details Brian Mills Product Manager Photovoltaics North America

Product Catalogue. Europe

Product Catalogue. Europe Product Catalogue Europe The best $/kwh value under the sun Trina Solar is a pioneering manufacturer of high quality photovoltaic modules. Vertically Integrated Founded in 1997, Trina Solar is a pioneering