First of all, what is photovoltaic connector? In the photovoltaic power station, it is necessary to collect the power of a large number of components together. Entering the inverter, it must rely on cables and connectors. Photovoltaic connector is the key part for the interconnection between components, combiner box, controller, inverter and other components in the photovoltaic power generation system. It can not be ignored and is related to the "corner" of the operation and maintenance of the whole photovoltaic project! They are responsible for the successful connection of the power station!

 

Historical development of photovoltaic connectors

 

When it comes to photovoltaic connector, someone will say that it is not MC4 connector. It's really sad to hear this sentence. MC4 will be mistaken for the abbreviation of photovoltaic connector, which is really caused by historical development.

 

Before 1996, there was no special photovoltaic connector on the market. The photovoltaic cables were connected by universal screw terminals or joint connectors and connected with insulating tape. This method is time-consuming, laborious and unreliable. With the increase of the installation amount of photovoltaic system, we hope to have a fast, safe and easy to operate connection scheme.

 

Therefore, in 1996, based on these application environments and market demands, a new type of plug-in connector came into being, which is the real photovoltaic connector - MC3. Its inventor is the Swiss company multi contact (incorporated into stauber group in 2002), MC is the brand abbreviation, and 3 is the size of the diameter of the metal core.

 

In 2002, the birth of MC4 redefined the photovoltaic connector again, which truly realized "plug and play". The insulating material uses hard plastic (PC / PA) and is designed to be easier to assemble and install on site. After MC4 was launched, it was quickly recognized by the market and gradually became the standard of photovoltaic connector.

 

Because multi contact is the first professional photovoltaic connector in the world, many standards are set by it, which has a great impact. Many people mistakenly think that the foreign name of photovoltaic connector is MC4, but it is not. With the circulation of products, MC4 has gradually become the so-called abbreviation and pronoun!

 

Finally, to sum up

 

In the photovoltaic system, although the proportion of connectors is very small, many links need to be used! Many construction workers do not know enough about the connector, which may lead to equipment failure. In the whole photovoltaic system, the DC side voltage is usually as high as 600-1000v. Once the photovoltaic module connector contact is loose and poor contact, it is very easy to cause DC arcing. DC arcing will lead to a sharp rise in the temperature of the contact part, and the continuous arc will produce a high temperature of 1000-3000 ℃, accompanied by high-temperature carbonization of surrounding devices. The fuse and cable are fused in light cases, and the equipment is burnt in heavy cases, causing fire.

 

Therefore, although the connector is small, it is related to everyone's safety. Therefore, it is very important to choose a high-quality photovoltaic connector!