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US 11,689,153 B2Granted
Lead assembly for connecting solar panel arrays to inverter
AssigneeShoals Technologies Group, LLC
InventorDean Solon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lead assembly includes at plurality of drop line joined to a feeder cable at joints each having a compression lug that is preferably surrounded by undermolding and overmolding. In use, each drop line is connected to a solar array, and the feeder cable is connected to an inverter. In this manner a plurality of solar arrays are electrically coupled together, with a common feeder cable connecting them all to the inverter. A system of the present invention doesn't require a combiner box which is conventionally employed directly upstream of the inverter.
Claims24
A lead assembly for use in a solar energy installation including:
- a drop line terminating at a drop line connector, the drop line connector configured to connect with a central trunk of a wire harness, the central trunk of the wire harness having a plurality of branches that each are configured to electrically connect to a separate solar panel contained in an array of a plurality solar panels;
- a feeder cable electrically coupled to the drop line at a nexus;
- an undermold that fully encases the nexus, the undermold further comprising:
- a first aperture extending completely through the undermold and having a first diameter, wherein the feeder cable extends through the first aperture along a first longitudinal axis;
- and
- a second aperture extending partially through the undermold and having a second diameter different than the first diameter, wherein the drop line extends from the second aperture along a second longitudinal axis;
- a third aperture extending partially through the undermold and having a third diameter different than the first diameter, wherein a second drop line extends from the third aperture along a third longitudinal axis;
- and
- an overmold surrounding the undermold and forming an undermold-overmold interface at an outer surface of the undermold.
6 more elements
A solar power system comprising:
- a plurality of solar panels each electrically coupled to one of a plurality of branches of a wire harness to form a first solar array;
- a lead assembly comprising:
- a drop line electrically connected to a central trunk of the wire harness and configured to receive power from the plurality of solar panels;
- a second drop line electrically connected to a central trunk of a second wire harness and configured to receive power from a plurality of solar panels in a second solar array;
- a feeder cable, the feeder cable electrically connected to the drop line and the second drop line at a nexus;
- and
- a primary mold that fully encases the nexus so as to substantially seal the nexus from external environmental conditions, the primary mold further comprising:
- a first aperture extending completely through the primary mold and having a first diameter, wherein the feeder cable extends through the first aperture;
- a second aperture extending partially through the primary mold and having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter, wherein the drop line extends into the second aperture and
- a third aperture extending partially through the primary mold and having a third diameter smaller than the first diameter, wherein the second drop line extends into the third aperture.
7 more elements
A solar power system comprising:
- a plurality of solar panels electrically coupled by a wire harness to form a first solar array;
- a lead assembly comprising:
- a first drop line electrically connected to the wire harness and configured to receive power from the plurality of solar panels;
- a feeder cable, the feeder cable electrically connected to the drop line at a nexus;
- a primary mold that fully encases the nexus so as to substantially seal the nexus from external environmental conditions, the primary mold further comprising:
- a first aperture extending completely through the primary mold and having a first diameter, wherein the feeder cable extends through the first aperture along a first longitudinal axis;
- a second aperture extending partially through the primary mold and having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter, wherein the drop line extends into the second aperture along a second longitudinal axis;
- and
- a second drop line electrically connected to a second wire harness that connects to a plurality of solar panels, the second drop line electrically connected to the feeder cable at the nexus fully encased by the primary mold, wherein the second drop line extends into a third aperture defined by the primary mold along a third axis.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.