2DegreesKelvin carried out a couple of PAC inspections in September 2020 and captured some examples of pro-active DC cable management practices, which is great to see on the new wave of subsidy-free builds.
Years of throwing cable and modules onto the array with inconsistent or non-existent cable management methods which have caused cable-structure touch points, often on sharp structure edges, excessive cable radii, exposed cable & connectors, water drip points forming on connectors etc etc, the list goes on. All of these issues will negatively affect production and availability of the site, and are a pain for O&M's to rectify in a reactive manner.
We witnessed three practices which I thought were very progressive on this site:
1. Touch-Point Protection – Plastic structure edge protection ensuring cable abrasion is minimised.
2. Cables supported by cable ties on module frame itself
3. Cables avoiding extreme radii and have enough give but not too much to allow for some natural movement.
Would be interested in others’ views on this? Are there other best practice methods out there?