Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

It’s not unusual that solar photovoltaic (PV) systems would require fuses – after all, these installations can carry substantial electrical loads, so overcurrent protection is critical to their safe operation. What is remarkable, though, are the conditions under which PV panels, their conductors, and their wiring can operate.

Up until three years ago, I lived with a couple small boxes of spare fuses that sat on top of the water heater in the basement, ready to be drawn from should the rare combination of, say, the toaster and microwave operating at the same time happen to shut down power to the kitchen.

Switchboards are critical to the dependability of any electrical power installation because they represent that pivotal point at which incoming power supply is divided into separate circuits, controlled and protected by fuses and switchgear, metered, and then divided into a number of functional units for its given applications. In general, switchboards distribute power to transformers, panelboards, control equipment, and to system loads.