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Solar

The pressure is on in most countries to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emmisions into the atmosphere.  For example, the UK government's recent white paper has set out for an 80% reduction of greenhouse gases by mid-century.  A significant percentage, close to 37% in the UK, of CO2 emissions is by the power generation industry and it is a major target for improvement.

One such solution is the generation of electricity by the use of solar panels either in solar farms or placing panels directly on domestic and commercial buildings.  A good example of this is the rapid growth in Germany for the installation of solar panels on domestic dwellings.

This growth has been fuelled by legislation which obliges the electricity providers to buy surplus energy generated by solar panels from households at an agreed rate.  The rate in 2008 was €0.4675 per kW/hr and was guaranteed for 20 years.  This rate falls by 5% per year, so a household starting this in 2010 will get €0.4440 per kW/hr and so on.  Bearing in mind that the electricity bought from the power companies at the time of writing costed €0.19 to 0.20 per kW/hr, it is easy to see why this is an attractive option and consumers are keen to install solar panels quickly.

In order to connect the panels to the household supply, cables are required and these are the subject of some recent specification revisions:-

           

 Germany            

 TUV 2 Pfg 1169/08.2007

           

 France 

 UTE C 32-502

           

 Spain    

 EA3008

           

 USA  

 UL4703


The key features of this type of cable are that it should be flame retardant and in particular halogen free for the European market, possess excellent UV resistance and survive for up to 25 years at ambient conditions up to 90oC.  In additon, it must have a high resistance to penetration and be resistant to water and in some cases certain oils.  Lastly it should be as flexible as possible for easy installation, especially in cold conditions.  

CT09/05 is the first of our flexible halogen free flame retardant (HFFR) compounds for this application and has the following properties.

 

Grades Available

Density
(g/cm2)

Tensile
strength
(Mpa)

Elongation
at break
(%) 

Hot pressure
at 140oC
(%) 

Limiting oxygen
index (L
OI)
(%) 

Temperature
index

Data
sheet

 
 CT09-05:CM401/2S  Flexible high temperature silane crosslinkable  insulation and sheathing

1.46

9

230 

35

30 

250 

Data sheet icon

 

Please note that all of the silane crosslinkable grades are shown as a system with a graft and a catalyst.  These are normally used in the ratio of 95:5.  The most common catalyst masterbatch is shown in the table but there are others available which helps us to more accurately match your property requirements and processing conditions.

 

If your Unsure Contact us on +44 (0) 1474 566736