Installing solar PV with enhanced safety

Marley’s new solar connector enclosure, ArcBox, is designed to further drive safety standards as the number of solar PV installations surge in the wake of the Part L regulation changes.

The increasing specification of solar PV systems on roofscapes is being driven by the uplift changes to Part L of the Building Regulations. Designed to ensure that homes are constructed to produce 31% lower carbon emissions, the new rules mean that specifiers and housebuilders are turning to the renewable energy benefits that solar PV can deliver.

Installed alongside an efficient gas boiler or heat pump, it is the easiest and most cost-effective way to meet the mandatory Part L carbon reduction targets that underpins the strategy to build the sustainable homes needed to deliver a low carbon future.

Marley is supporting the construction sector through its SolarTile® solution – providing a high performing and integrated solar panel that, when specified as part of a full roof system offers a 15-year warranty.

As solar PV installations escalate, it is important that the highest standards are followed when it comes to safety. To support its full roof system solution, Marley has further expanded its SolarTile® offering with the launch of its solar connector enclosure, ArcBox.

A solar connector enclosure, ArcBox has been designed to further enhance safety across all types of solar PV installations. While the risk of electrical fire caused by solar PV is extremely low, nonetheless ArcBox can be key to delivering added peace of mind for specifiers and homeowners.

ArcBox works by simply snapping around a DC connector. Independently verified by the KIWA fire test laboratory and Loughborough University, ArcBox ensures that should an electrical arc occur, the issue is safely contained and does not spread to potentially combustible materials in or around the solar installation.

The patented design of the ArcBox sees two hinged halves snap together. This process completely encloses the DC connector within highly temperature-resistant, refractory lining materials more usually found in furnaces and foundries. These materials are now being manufactured for the first time in more complex geometries, meaning they can be used in solar PV applications.

Simple to install, ArcBox can be used on all types of solar panel installations including bolt-on mounted, tray and roof integrated systems. It is suitable for new solar projects in both domestic and commercial settings such as factories, schools, hospitals, or care homes, and building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) solar projects, or any building where DC cabling must be installed in the vicinity of roofing made of combustible materials.

Flat roof installations, where single-ply membranes or asphalt are in use, are another ideal application.

A selection of batten mounting brackets is also available, enabling ArcBox to be mounted behind roof-integrated solar systems.

For further details on Marley’s full roof system, including SolarTile® and ArcBox, visit: www.marley.co.uk/arcbox