ARAYMOND defines new standard in PV module fastening technology

ARAYMOND defines new standard in PV module fastening technology

By Jean-Baptiste Chevrier, CTO of ARaymond Energies – France

Clipping to replace Screws or Rivets
Until recently, mounting systems designers of the PV industry did not have much choice to fasten and ground the number of different PV modules onto their metallic (aluminum or steel) supporting structure: screws or rivets was the unique alternative.

But we at ARaymond, specialist in innovative fastening solutions in many industries like Automotive, we know the pros and cons of these classical fastening solutions: screws or rivets can be very effective and cost competitive in assembling parts in a controlled environment where powered mounting tools and quality controls are available and properly maintained.

But when assembly operations are done outdoors, on a roof top or onto an elevated structure, in dusty, rainy or high temperature conditions, screws and rivets become much more problematic to use and sometimes maintain.

Moreover, the rigid connection they impose between assembled parts induce heavy stress onto these parts when the whole assembly is fluctuating in temperature during the day or is submitted to strong wind gusts. As a consequence, mounting system designers become accountable for problems such as screws loosening or accelerated solar cell aging via micro-cracks.

ARaymond Clips ease-up and accelerate installation: our clips require a single movement in one direction to perform up to two operations like fastening and grounding (see PowAR Cinch® on Figure 1 and PowAR Snap® on Figure 2) or cutting the protection sheath of the cable and contacting the module frame to the copper wire (see Rayvolt® on Figure 3).

A Raymond Clips reduce maintenance: unlike screws, our clips once properly installed do not require to be exchanged or maintained. Their elastic design ensures electrical contact and fastening performances are maintained despite continuous vibrations from wind (50 000 cycles tests performed).

A Raymond Clips improve plant productivity: on roof top installation, the PowAR Snap® clip (see Figure 2) prevent stepping on the module and cell micro-cracks generation during the module installation process. During operation, the elastic design of our clip prevents stress build-up on the module when they are expanding and contracting everyday differently from their supporting structure.

A Raymond Clips improve reliability: as our clips are made of flexible steel protected with corrosion protection layers that withstands at least 720 hours of salt spray exposure, their performances are maintained during the whole operation time of the solar installation (more than 30 years) even in very aggressive environments (C4 class).

A Raymond remains at the innovation leading edge: ARaymond Energies, the solar entity of the ARaymond network is present in most of the countries where solar market is developing such as Europe, South Africa, Australia, USA, Brazil, Chile, Japan, China and obviously India. This allows ARaymond to acquire a broad view of the technical trends of the solar market and be always at the leading edge of the technology.

As an example, dual glass frameless (crystalline silicon 72 cell and large thin film module) and bifacial module will certainly take in the near future a much larger market share. Fastening a large glass module without shadowing the back side is a technical challenge that ARaymond is actively working on. ARaymond will soon propose a solution in which frameless module will be simply and quickly clipped on the supporting structure. The flexible fastening solution will greatly minimize the local stress in the glass and therefore eliminate any risk of breakage during the installation.

As a conclusion, Solar Systems are submitted for a long period of time to temperature, humidity and wind variations and Clip technology provides a safer and more robust fastening solution than screws and rivets. Moreover, assembly tools are difficult to operate in outdoor areas where Solar systems are installed and the manual assembly of Clips simplifies greatly the installation operations.

In India, ARaymond started working from 2007. Today ARaymond India is a fast growing company in the renewable energy space. In Solar domain, ARaymond India has already supplied 300 MW worth of fasteners to various Developers and EPCs likeMytrah Energy, Adani Power, Scorpious Trackers, Oriano Solar among others. Another 600 MW of various projects are under discussion. A distinct advantage is that these solar fasteners are locally produced in ARaymond India’s state of the manufacturing plant in Chakan Pune. This plant is equipped with latest Manufacturing Technology, Quality labs and Testing & Validation facilities. ARaymond India aspires to cater to projects worth 5 GW annually by 2018-19.