Photovoltaic Fuse Offering for Solar Power Installations
Sept. 16, 2009
Related To: Cooper Bussmann Inc.
The Cooper Bussmann® PV Fuse amperage now covers 1A through 15A for protecting solar panel photovoltaic (PV) cell strings. This family of full range fuses offers time current characteristics specifically for PV low fault conditions at 1000Vdc or less. Cooper Bussmann, industry leader in critical circuit protection, power management and electrical safety, has also added fuse blocks and holders for PV fuse applications.Cooper Bussmann PV Fuses provide low level fault protection that can clear faults as low as 1.3 x In (fuse rating) @ 1000Vdc. They are designed specifically for 4?, 5? and 6? solar cell based panels as well as thin-film based panels. The entire PV Fuse family offers superior cycling withstand, and has been tested in coordination with cycling conditions associated with solar panel system operation and environmental influences.PV Fuses are designed with a maximum 1000Vdc operating voltage based on typical solar panel systems with L/R of 1ms and below. Plus the PV Fuse is available in the globally accepted 10x38mm dimension with all amp ratings available with standard ferrule, bolt and versatile PCB mount options. “The low short-circuit current levels associated with solar panels don’t open traditional fuses in a way that effectively isolates a faulted PV string from the array,” explained Joe Schomaker, senior product manager. “The new Cooper Bussmann PV Fuse is a full range fuse specially designed to open under low fault current conditions to quickly isolate PV strings from the array and permit the balance of the strings to continue delivering power.”To apply the PV Fuse, Cooper Bussmann now makes available its CHM Series of fuse holders and BM Series of fuse blocks self-certified to 1000Vdc. Both series are available in one-, two- and three-pole configurations for application flexibility.