The ratings and specifications associated with electrical wire and cable can be a mouthful, to say the least. A mouthful is one thing when you understand what you’re working with and not so great when you don’t. So this post will attempt to make short of a long-winded qualifier like “10 AWG solar PV multi-conductor tray cable.”
Let’s break it down.
10 AWG
AWG stands for “American Wire Gauge,” which is a system used in North America to measure the thickness of electrical cable and wire.
The scale is logarithmic and inverse, which is a lot of syllables, but what you need to know about is that the higher the number, the thinner the cable, and the lower the number, the thicker the cable.
In metric, a 10 AWG wire is 2.588mm – for us Americans, that’s .1019”.
This is important because the wire gauge, more than most other factors, impacts its suitability in a given application.
Holding all else equal, thinner wires can carry less current at lower voltages than thicker wires because they overheat more quickly.
This means that using wire of an appropriate gauge is critical to the performance and safety of a system. It is acceptable to use heavier, thicker wire in some circumstances, but never thinner, lighter wire.
Solar PV
Solar PV is a term that is a bit redundant, because solar means that the electric wire or cable in question can be used with solar panels and systems, and PV, which stands for “photovoltaic” basically means the same thing.
Photovoltaic is another term for the cells that are used with solar systems – that is, they use light (photo) to produce a charge (voltaic).
It’s also important to understand what makes a cable suitable (or not) for use as solar panel cable.
There are two main attributes required. These are that the cable’s insulating jacket is resistant to sunlight as well as weather, both of which can cause premature degradation that will harm the efficiency of the system, or worse, cause fires.
Multi-Conductor
Multi-conductor should be one of the more obvious terms to figure out here. It means that the cable is made with more than one conductor than just a solid copper wire. It may also mean there are multiple, separated conductors under a common sheath.
This is the case for most if not all instances of solar panel cable, because in order to work at the requisite voltages, a single copper wire would be far too stiff to be practical.
Rather, solar panel cable is made with many conductors, most of them finely stranded, which increase the overall flexibility of the cable, so that it’s more workable in the hands of electricians or solar installation specialists.
Tray Cable
Lastly, we have the appellation “tray’ cable, which means that the cable in question can be used in cable trays, rather than in conduit.
Conventionally, cables are drawn through conduits, which are special pipes or tubes that fully enclose them, protecting them against the elements.
Though conduit delivers a high degree of protection for the cables within, accessing the cables is difficult once installed, and drawing the cables through in the first place is time and resource intensive.
Therefore, some cables nowadays are laid in special trays that hold them but keep them exposed for easier inspection or maintenance – which is a selling point in some installation circumstances.
Where to Get It (or Other Solar Panel Cable)
Did you land here because you’re looking for 10 AWG solar PV multi-conductor tray cable? Get it over at EWCSWire.com, where you can investigate many other grades of specialty electrical wire and cable. Visit their website today for more information or get in touch with them directly at [email protected].
