Recently, SunPower said in a statement that through a product quality assessment of its components, the company identified a cracking problem; the problem was a third-party factory-installed connector that had cracked over time.
SunPower said that although it has not received reports of incidents caused by this quality issue, due to safety concerns, SunPower plans to replace the connectors on most of the affected equipment in 2022. The replacement cost is expected to be $31 million, and the company says consumer products are not affected.
According to agency statistics, the storm will affect as many as 1,000 industrial and commercial photovoltaic sites with an installed capacity of about 9 MW.
The connector is the junction box cable connecting the photovoltaic module and the photovoltaic system. Usually, the quality problem of the connector will lead to leakage and arcing, which will reduce the current transmission capacity and even cause a fire. Photovoltaic systems are exposed to wind, rain, scorching sun, and extreme temperature changes for a long time. Connectors must be able to adapt to these harsh environments, be waterproof, high temperature and UV resistant, and be touch protected, high current carrying capacity and efficient.
