Those are 3 important components in any solar panel with high influence on solar panel quality, performance and life span. So, let us show their effects and how can we choose the best characteristics as following:
Solar Panel Interconnectors
They are a flat conductive ribbons which connect the solar cells within the solar panel in series and parallel. These ribbons width, numbers, thickness differ from one solar panel manufacturer to another.
Due to weather, especially sun heat, thermal contraction and expansion will surely happen, causing a stress on these interconnectors, and as a result, they may break or make an arc burning the internal material. The quality manufacturers take this issue into consideration, and providing solutions to avoid its occurrence during manufacturing stages, as they use high quality materials in addition to their long experience in material science. So, we have to ask our solar panel and solar inverter supplier about the type, quantity, alignment and size of these interconnectors, and used soldering approach in which the manufacturer does.
Solar Panel Frame
Usually solar panel manufacturers use aluminum frames with mounting points. The frame is connected to the glass laminate via special material which play an important role in reducing stress resulting from different contraction and expansion between the glass and the frame due to weather variation effect. This material is made from rubber or flexible tapes to allow some movement tolerance. There are many types of frames like double wall, rigid, quite thin and fixable, and each type has its own advantages. When assessing our new solar panel, we have to look more deeply to observe the material integrity, and how it used to connect the glass laminate to the frame, and we have to ask the manufacture about flexibility and whether these components provide some kind of tolerance or not.
Junction Box
It’s a box attached the solar panel back to seal the interconnectors output from the solar panel, so the moisture cannot creep inside the solar panel, and usually this box is made of aluminum or plastic.
The box has other benefits, as combining connections and tighten them, so we will be able to connect solar panels exit cables together providing solar strings. It protects connections from weather variation and keep their quality over several decades.
Also, the junction box has small electronic components called diodes which providing protection to the solar cells in case of partial shadow.
The important point we have to ask our solar panel supplier about is whether junction box material is flammable or not, and we have to make careful visual inspection to ensure junction box good fitness, perfect sealed and quality workmanship.
