As Solar Market Strategic Manager for Sensata Technologies, John Kluza has witnessed business evolution not just within his company, but in the wider solar arena. Here, he talks to PES about how Sensata is geared to meet that evolution and to capitalise on it.
PES: Welcome to PES. Would you like to introduce your company and explain a little about how you serve the solar/PV sector?
John Kluza: Sensata is a world leader and innovator in mission-critical sensing, electrical protection and power management products, with revenue of almost $2 billion in 2013. Sensata is a key player in industries such as automotive, appliance and aircraft, and our products include items like circuit breakers and switches, thermal motor protectors and pressure sensors.
A number of these products have found applications in the solar sector. Additionally, Sensata has also developed, and continues to develop, complementary products specifically targeted for the solar industry. Sensata is based in the Netherlands and has production, engineering and sales sites all over the world.
PES: What was the thinking behind the company’s diversification into solar? Is this move beginning to yield rewards?
JK: The recent improvements in solar economics and growth in global deployments make it clear the market is maturing. As solar grows, it increasingly requires similar supplier attributes to the mature markets we are in.
For instance, the capabilities we have refined as a key supplier for automotive manufacturers, such as consistent high quality and cost-effective, high volume production, are the attributes solar requires of its suppliers as the industry grows. With that in mind, pursuing new opportunities in solar made good sense.
Products under our Airpax brand name have supported the industry for a number of years. We have strong offerings for inverter components including DC rocker switches, thermostats and breakers used
in the Japanese grid-tied market and the North American off-grid market. More recently, we have released a new, highly modular rotary DC switch with worldwide certifications, and also a UL recognised DC arc fault detector.
We are very excited by the improvements we can offer our customers in safety, supply chain and cost effectiveness, and we are encouraged by the market’s adoption of our new products. This affirms that these new products are truly filling needs.
PES: What are the typical challenges that inadequate electrical protection presents the industry with? How do you help overcome these challenges?
JK: A few major fires involving PV arrays have occurred over the last several years. And while they are exceptional, very low probability events, they make the headlines and generate public concern. In order for solar to continue to grow, the industry needs to prove to all parties involved that solar power is safe and reliable while continuing to improve its cost effectiveness.
The solar portion of the US National Electrical Code, article 690, is developing rapidly to address the issues which are unique to solar installations. NEC 2014, for instance, has new requirements for emergency shutdown and broader requirements for AFCI. These items are another step in making arrays safer and broadening the support base for solar PV to include more emergency first responders. Sensata contributes to this code and standard making process as part of its strategic commitment to solar.
PES: What features should an operator be looking for when selecting a DC Solar PV Arc Fault Detector?
JK: There are four categories of considerations a manufacturer or system designer should consider when selecting an arc fault detector to use in an AFCI system. We encourage you to get in touch with Sensata to learn more about the Sensata PVAF family’s impressive capabilities in each of these categories.
ï UL recognition
ï Using a UL recognised Arc Fault Detector (AFD) will speed up the development of a UL listed AFCI while also reducing agency risks.
ï Robust performance
ï An AFD should have extensive lab and field testing complete to ensure it operates properly in the real world. Most importantly, this testing needs to demonstrate a low probability of unintended, nuisance tripping in the intended application – the biggest source of customer complaints and “call backs” in an AFCI installation job.
ï Cost effectiveness
ï Both capital cost and operating cost need to be considered. The desirable solution should have a competitive capital cost and also perform very well, thereby offering low operating and lifetime costs. If it does not perform well, it will create numerous customer ‘call backs’ – high maintenance and operation costs as well as unhappy customers.
ï Simplicity of installation and support
ï To simplify integration and installation, the AFD should work off-the-shelf without adjustment. It should also have a knowledgeable engineering team available to support the product.
PES: Obviously, quality is something you strive for in your manufacturing processes – how do you ensure consistency?
JK: Sensata has a manufacturing legacy of nearly a century. Our global footprint includes manufacturing operations that are located local to our customer base. Each of these manufacturing sites employs a world-class quality system that is aligned with our end markets’ needs (ISO, TS 16949, AS 9100).
Our manufacturing operations apply leading edge manufacturing and quality processes in all aspects of operations.
As a result, Sensata has earned numerous supplier quality awards. For instance, in just the past year we have received supplier quality awards from demanding companies like General Motors, Caterpillar, Airbus, and Boeing.
PES: What is the biggest challenge facing your area of the industry today?
JK: Education about AFCI – Since it is a new requirement and a product that is unlike most other devices, a consistent understanding and set of expectations are not yet in place in the industry. We have noted this as a challenge throughout the entire industry value chain, including: integrators, installers, inspectors and owners.
We see providing education on the benefits and potential issues with incorporating AFCI on an array as beneficial industry outreach both for smooth industry rollout of the new requirement and also to explain the advantages of our PVAF product.
With this in mind, we’ve written a white paper, now available on our website (http://www.sensata.com/uses/solar.htm), to explain how to select a solar PV DC arc fault detector. We have also developed application notes to share with integrators, and we have begun speaking at local inspector and installer continuing education sessions to help clear up any further questions.
PES: Can we expect any new innovations for the company in the coming year?
JK: While we are executing on the launch of our two new product families, the PVAF arc fault detector and the PVSW rotary DC disconnect switch, at the same time our engineering teams are completing some exciting additional features for the products.
We will be releasing a number of new ratings and features for the PVSW this summer, including IEC & CCC 1000VDC/16A and 600VDC/40A ratings on what used to be only a 600VDC/32A rated package. We are also pleased to be releasing UL 1000V ratings using our pin (ferrule) terminal option. Unlike competitive devices, our 1000V switch needs no additional barriers to meet UL terminal clearance requirements.
Also, we are in the process of even more field testing on the PVAF arc fault detector. We are continually adding more inverters to the list of those with which we have successfully tested our device.
Additionally, we have new concepts planned for the PVAF for easier integration and new string configurations.
For future products, we are working with solar industry leaders to understand their needs and apply our engineering capability to solve their problems. We will have a lot to talk about at our booths at Intersolar EU in Munich and Intersolar NA in San Francisco, so please stop by.
