Epic® Solar Comes Out On Top

The Epic® Solar ‘Field Mountable’ connector designed and developed by Lapp with the installers of photovoltaic systems in mind has just been recognised by PHOTON magazine as the best of its kind.

PHOTON, the international trade magazine for solar energy, published the results of its comparative test of solar energy connectors in the September 2007 edition.

A total of 21 different solar energy connectors from 18 international manufacturers were tested by the PHOTON test laboratory, who are independent, unbiased and held in high regard worldwide by the users of solar energy products for their comparative tests.

It was stated that not only did the Epic Solar connector excel when it came to safety but also performed well in the other tests. In the force measurement test which focuses on the relationship between connector release and cable withdrawal force, the Epic Solar connector came out on top.

While in the insulation resistant test, the Epic Solar connector remained in the Gigaohm range even after 3 weeks submersion in water, which indicates it meets the IP68 requirements stated.

The results of these tests (see some of the criteria listed below), proved that the Epic® Solar connector is one of the best and most reliable connectors available on the market.

 Force Measurement

• Force required to plug in the connector.
• Force comparison: Releasing secured connection by applying cable/connector pull-out force. Testing whether pulling on the cable represents a safety hazard.

Contact Resistant Measurements

• This value influences the temperature and thus the service life of the connector.
• The contact resistance influences the efficiency of the solar plant.

Thermographic Tests

• To show the points on the connector where the temperature increases the most.

Insulation Resistance Measurements

• The connectors were submerged under water for 3 weeks. Afterwards, the insulation values were compared with the values before the test.

The full test results and conclusion are published in Septembers´ edition of PHOTON magazine.

To obtain further information on these connectors or to receive a catalogue on our Photovoltaic range of products, please call our sales team on +44 (0)20 8758 7800 or alternatively email us at sales@lapplimited.com