Affordable Wire Management (AWM) announced that the company has achieved a 630A rating Renewable Energy Test Center (RETC), a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL). AWM’s CMS is the first in the industry to achieve this rating, making their offering eligible to support Sungrow’s recently released 4.4 MW SG4400UD-MV modular inverter in North America.
“Sungrow’s 4.4 MW inverter breaks new ground for more efficient and cost-effective utility-scale solar design. By installing our inverters, developers can reduce overall LCOE by requiring fewer inverters per megawatt. Thanks to AWM’s innovations, the higher demands are managed safely, as their all-metal CMS are bonded and have a capacity of up to 630 amps. It is exciting to see that AWM is already producing offerings for the North American market that are ready to support Sungrow’s latest push into inverter technology,” said Mikhail (Naveed) Hasan, Sungrow’s VP of strategy and marketing.
AWM solutions meet IEEE and NEC requirements for bonding excess bare metal that is likely to be stressed. They are also rated to comply UL2703, the standard for mounting systems, mounting devices, clamping/retaining devices and grounding cable lugs for use with flat photovoltaic modules and panels.
Other alternatives, including polymetric (plastic) hangers, circumvent this important standard because they do not have a metal-to-metal bond.
The RETC has rated AWM’s CMS, including the pendants, above the maximum amperage of 200 A, defined by UL2703, to achieve a connection value of 630 A. This meets the overcurrent capacity of Sungrow’s latest inverters for utility-scale solar projects, with the increased fuse capacity of 630 A.
“Utility-scale wire management carries and routes dozens of electrical cables for up to 40 years, so selecting the right eBOS components is critical to the long-term reliability of power plants. O+M teams, owners and operators are already learning the hard way that plastic will break down over the 40+ year lifespan of a project. Plant owners are inevitably forced to invest time and money in replacing them – an unfortunate, inefficient and costly outcome of using plastic,” said Scott Rand, co-founder and CEO of AWM. “By offering all-metal solutions, AWM’s offering supports the most advanced technological developments and designs in the large-scale solar sector. The developers, EPCs and EORs we work with, as well as owner/operators, all experience the very real benefits of lower construction costs, improved safety, consistent power plant performance and longer life.”
AWM’s comprehensive CMS is designed for utility-scale solar projects and includes the Arden Messenger cable hanger, the Bonsai Module Cable Hangerand the Solar LOTOTO lockout solution. Announced in early 2024, AWM’s expanded hardware offering includes the HELIOS Beam Rod and the PHOTON Toolkit.
News item from Affordable Wire Management