High-quality cables are an important key to the longevity and reliability of the solar park

To meet an ever-growing need for power, more and more solar parks are also being built in the Baltics. Cables developed specifically for solar parks by Prysmian Group, the world's largest cable manufacturer, help build sustainable and durable solutions for decades to come.

“We see quite often in our day-to-day work that the wrong cables are used for the wrong purpose, mostly due to customer’s ignorance or the builder's wish to save money. In fact, cable manufacturers go to great lengths to develop, manufacture and test different types of cables to ensure that the right cable is available for every application, and that it will stand up to any specific situation. It's similar to the situation with fasteners, where no one would use a plaster screw to fasten a sauna bench,” explains Andero Hännikäinen, Baltics' Industrial Segment Sales Manager.

He says that certainly special attention must be paid to large, important and expensive projects such as solar farms. A solar park cannot be seen as just a collection of panels; the system encompasses much more, from a single low-voltage cable to high-voltage connection of the grid. You need to use a different cable for each system to ensure a durable, long-lasting and problem-free result,” says Hännikäinen.

Imagine if there is a failure in a solar park due to an incorrectly selected cable, some part of the cable develops cracks, oxidises or even worse – catches fire? There is a large financial loss in terms of the labour costs of the repair, the cost of installing new cables and of electricity not produced. “After all, the money saved by opting for a cheaper cable is quite insignificant,” says Hännikäinen. “Our recommendation is to do it once but properly, rather than repair it several times.”

Prysmian Group also offers cables for more demanding underground or submarine applications

Prysmian Group offers cables, as well as complete cable solutions to the production and supply of solar energy. In addition to solar PV cables, the group’s cable portfolio includes low, medium and high voltage cables according to the standards of each region, as well as special cables for communication and control.

The company offers a range of flexible cables for photovoltaic applications under the name TECSUN which is the premium brand made in Germany with almost 20 years of experience and more than 1.5 million km sold. TECSUN is designed for indoor and outdoor use in photovoltaic power systems, as well as in industry and agriculture. This cable outperforms the standards of PV cables, and is designed for the roughest conditions, such as when installed directly in soil, water or explosive areas. The cable is TÜV and VDE certified and belongs to CPR class Dca s2,d2,a1.

The newly developed, easy-to-handle PRYSUN cable is designed for the interconnection of various elements in photovoltaic systems, including panel interconnection, between panels and switchboards or from switchboards to the inverter. The cables may be installed as fixed or freely suspended, freely movable, and also on cable racks, pipes, walls and under plaster. It fully complies with European standard EN 50618 and international standard IEC 62930. The cable belongs to CPR class Dca s2,d2,a1.

Environmental simulator tests cables in extreme conditions

Prysmian Group has developed an environmental simulator to demonstrate in 20 minutes how different cables handle 15-20 years of workload, including different environmental and weather conditions from sun, UV radiation to heat and humidity. The results highlight the most common faults in cables such as discolouration, cable shrinkage, outer sheath and insulation cracks. If the outer sheath of the cable is damaged, moisture can enter the cable and create a potential fire hazard. See more HERE.

The article was published on the website ehitusuudised.ee.