The new Sunny Boy 3000-US, 3800-US, 4000-US and Sunny Boy 5000-US, 6000-US, 7000-US, 8000-US with AFCI detect and extinguish arc faults, have been tested to UL 1699B and comply with the PV requirement outlined in National Electrical Code (NEC) 2011 Section 690.11. The integrated design requires no additional installation equipment and further establishes SMA as the leader in adopting the latest safety requirements for solar inverters.
SMA is committed to providing professionals with the industrys most current string inverters, and we are pleased to offer a commercially available solution to meet the requirements of NEC 2011, said Jurgen Krehnke, president and general manager of SMA America and president of SMA Canada. With UL listed AFCI inverters, customers can be comfortable that their inverters have been tested to ULs respected standards and will meet NEC requirements in locations that have adopted the new code.
The AFCI Sunny Boy 3000-US, 3800-US, 4000-US and 5000-US, 6000-US, 7000-US, 8000-US part of the worlds most popular solar inverter line meet NEC 2011 requirements for detecting serial arc faults, interrupting affected circuits, signaling faults and requiring manual restarts of photovoltaic (PV) systems.
Offering efficiencies up to 97 percent, their longevity is enhanced via SMAs patented OptiCool active temperature management system and rugged cast aluminum, outdoor-rated enclosure. Automatic grid-voltage detection and an integrated DC disconnect switch further simplify installation, enhancing safety while saving time. These Sunny Boy models also feature galvanic isolation and can be used with all types of modules crystalline as well as thin-film. They include a 10-year factory warranty, with the ability to extend up to 20 years.
UL has worked closely with SMA throughout the testing and certification process to help ensure that SMAs new inverter technology meets the latest safety requirements as specified in the updated UL and NEC guidelines, said Jeff Smidt, vice president and general manager, Energy and Industrial Systems, UL LLC. This is an exciting time for all of us.
SMA also received UL certification for its AFCI transformerless inverters, the Sunny Boy 8000TL-US, 9000TL-US, 10000TL-US. Ideal for commercial applications, these were North Americas first UL certified transformerless inverters. They feature class-leading CEC weighted efficiencies up to 98 percent, integrated monitoring of residual currents and ground faults for maximum safety.
The new AFCI devices will begin shipping later this year. The AFCI Sunny Boy 3000-US, 3800-US, 4000-US and 5000-US, 6000-US, 7000-US, 8000-US inverters will be available for shipping throughout North America this July. Inverters meeting the domestic content requirement of the Ontario Feed-in Tariff Program will be available at a later date.
SMA has maintained an ongoing, collaborative relationship with UL over the past few years with the ultimate goal of making the design and testing of inverters more effective.
