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Cable manufacturer Lapp enters the PV industry
The German cable manufacturer U.I.
Lapp has joined the PV business: In July, the Stuttgart-based company
has begun offering its new cable especially designed for use with PV
systems.
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©
U.I. Lapp GmbH |
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5+3: Cable manufacturer Lapp offers its
solar cable with five different conductor diameters and in
three different colors. |
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Lapp first introduced its single-conductor cable, the
»Lapptherm Solar,« at a trade fair in Hanover, Germany, in April. The
cable is available in three different colors – red, blue, and black –
and with five different conductor diameters between 2.5 and 16 mm².
The single-conductor cable consists of tin-plated copper wire and a
halogen-free synthetic jacket for insulation. In addition, the cable
is protected from moisture by an additional film, which also makes it
easier to strip the cable jacket. It is attached to the inside of the
outer jacket, which is also made of a halogen-free synthetic material.
Depending on the diameter, 100 m of cable costs between €200 and €756
($187 and $706). The most commonly used cable size, with a 4 mm²
conductor diameter, costs €285 ($266) per 100 m; according to Lapp's
product manager, Frank Hörtnagl, almost 90 percent of German
installers use this type. The Swiss manufacturer Huber + Suhner sells
100 m of its 4 mm² solar cable, the Radox 125, for just €80 ($74) –
though only with a minimum purchase of 1,000 m. Lapp does not require
any minimum purchase, and according to product manager Hörtnagl,
customers can expect to receive up to an 80 percent rebate off the
catalog price.
Both Lapp's new cable as well as Huber + Suhner's solar cable can
supposedly withstand temperatures of up to 120 °C for as long as
20,000 hours. Higher temperatures or longer periods of exposure can
cause the cable to become brittle or even break. In contrast to their
Swiss competitor, Lapp only offers a two-core wire version by special
order. Although according to Hörtnagl the two-core version is
polarity-secure, since only one cable is required to connect the solar
energy system to the inverter, it is not worthwhile for Lapp to keep
much of the product in stock. Most installers would prefer the cheaper
single-conductor cable. »It's a question of cost,« Hörtnagl explains.
The Lapp Group, which consists of 50 companies with about 2,600
employees in several countries, will offer the solar cable worldwide.
U.I. Lapp GmbH
Schulze-Delitzsch-Strasse 25
70565 Stuttgart, Germany
phone +49/711/7838-01, fax -2640
www.lappkabel.de
Iris Krampitz
© PHOTON International, July 2002
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