An American at Intersolar: Part IV – So Much Gear

In our last article on Intersolar 2022 Munich, we present a small fraction of the countless vendors exhibiting their products on the floor.

May 26, 2022 John Fitzgerald Weaver

Top Cable solar cable line.

JFW

Intersolar is more than bike rides in Amsterdam, solar panels, and robots and energy storage. There were also inverters, racking, cabling, monitoring, engineering, finance, media, and an abundance of other products and services that are vital to the industry. As we close our Intersolar 2022 Munch coverage, keep in mind that these vendors represent only a fraction of the industry.

Jurchen’s PEG’s high density racking system was on display, and it was as understated as it is cost effective.

While we didn’t get a chance to talk to the folks running the booth, seeing these products at the show was a good reminder that we at pv magazine USA would like to write a piece highlighting the product’s ability to resist wind speeds up to 185 miles per hour. Jurchen has been emphasizing this engineering feat in recent publications as it develops projects in high risk, higher wind regions.

For almost the exact opposite reason that we are drawn to the PEG system’s efficient material usage, we were drawn to single axis tracker racking manufacturer Ideematic – it’s a big, chunky, solid piece of metal.

Ideematic has recently begun deploying hardware into the US market.

Solid cables just look cool, and this cross section cut really catches the eye. With costs of everything increasing rapidly, seeing these cables in person felt more like looking at gold and silver rather than ‘non precious’ metals.

Top Cable (shown at top) said they’ve designed their solar cable line to be able to withstand the elements for decades on end. The product comes with a 30-year warranty that includes UV protection and general abrasion protection from movement that might occur outdoors. Customers can also request products that are rodent and critter resistant.

While they might not be as visually appealing as solar panels or moving single axis trackers, the inside of inverters and transformers are always packed with interesting looking gear. The manufacturer, Europower Enerji, showed off their transformers and other power grid voltage hardware.

Due to an ingrained fear of high voltages, and the knowledge that certain components retain power long after they are shut down, some attendees hesitated to approach this unit, which was in no way connected to the power grid.

This author cut his teeth in the South Florida solar thermal market, so it was nice to still see some solar hot water systems on the floor. And on a call with a customer just yesterday, there was a request for a solar thermal system to help lower gas usage in a condominium structure.

Amusingly, when I asked the representative about the volume of water this unit holds, I was told that SolarInox doesn’t make this unit, and that it was fake. SolarInox was there marketing their special films that absorb and move the heat energy, as well as many other products to serve the solar industry.

And with that, I left Munich and began my journey by FlixBus back to Amsterdam for some coffee and a walk, followed by a plane ride to the United States. As the sun set, the solar farms lining the highways began to shut down, while off in the distance, wind farms continued spinning.

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