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SunSpec Rapid Shutdown Ecosystem Doubles as Companies Embrace Certification


Industry Leaders Unite in Support of Rapid Shutdown Standard

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 13, 2020—The SunSpec Alliance is pleased to report that six additional SunSpec members have announced products and services supporting the SunSpec Communication Signal for Rapid Shutdown standard, bringing the size of the SunSpec Rapid Shutdown ecosystem to 12 companies.

SunSpec Rapid Shutdown ecosystem participants include balance-of-system suppliers with stand-alone PV module-level initiators and transmitter products (APsystems, JMTHY, Midnite Solar, Stäubli and ZERUN); inverter manufacturers with integrated transmitters (Fronius, Ginlong and SMA); semiconductor companies (Texas Instruments) and SunSpec Authorized Testing Laboratories (CSA, Intertek and UL).

“With the addition of these influential companies, the SunSpec Rapid Shutdown ecosystem is stronger than ever and has increased capacity to promote safety and standardization across the distributed energy landscape,” said Tom Tansy, chairman of the SunSpec Alliance. “As more solutions come to market to help integrators comply with rapid shutdown requirements, these leaders are ensuring safe deployment of solar and storage systems in the U.S.”

Since it launched the SunSpec Communication Signal for Rapid Shutdown standard, the SunSpec Alliance has continued to hone and simplify the SunSpec Certification process and interoperability program. Important advancements include supporting the test requirements with the UL 1741 standard and mobilizing a co-operative marketing and educational program to raise the visibility and awareness of SunSpec Rapid Shutdown solutions. SunSpec has also recently enhanced its local support capabilities for manufacturing partners in Asia.

With this ecosystem expansion, solar professionals have more choices and a wider range of cost-effective, standardized solutions to comply with rapid shutdown requirements. A total of nine product lines from six manufacturers have achieved SunSpec Certified status, adding to a list of 79 products from 56 companies that have achieved SunSpec Certified status so far.

To learn more about SunSpec’s rapid shutdown program, visit https://rapidshutdown.sunspec.org/, or to see the list of SunSpec Certified products, visit https://sunspec.org/certified-registry/.

About SunSpec

SunSpec Alliance is the information standards and certification organization for the Distributed Energy Resource (DER) industry. SunSpec communication standards address operational requirements of solar and energy storage on the smart grid to reduce cost, promote technology innovation, and accelerate industry growth. More than 110 organizations are members of the SunSpec Alliance, including global leaders from Asia, Europe, and North America.  To learn more, visit www.sunspec.org.