In early 2025, a product safety incident in the photovoltaic industry attracted widespread attention. According to an official announcement from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada on February 27, 2025, a Goal Zero solar panel cable produced in China was recalled.

The reason for the recall is that when this product is used in conjunction with specific Nomad series solar panels, it may malfunction, posing a clear fire risk. Official data shows that as of the announcement date, two reports have been received of fires caused by this cable malfunction, resulting in property damage.

Such cases are not unique in the photovoltaic industry. According to statistics, about 35% of failures in photovoltaic power plants are directly related to improper cable selection.

The fundamental difference between photovoltaic cables and ordinary cables lies in the fact that they have carried different missions since their inception.

Ordinary cables are mostly used in indoor environments, where temperature changes are small and there is no direct ultraviolet exposure. In contrast, photovoltaic cables must confront harsh outdoor working conditions from the design stage.

Photovoltaic cables: Long-term exposure to environments ranging from -40℃ to 90℃, requiring resistance to strong ultraviolet rays, ozone, humidity, and other multiple tests.

Ordinary cables: Mostly used in indoor environments with temperatures ranging from -15℃ to 70℃, where the environment is relatively stable.

This is like the difference between a regular car and an off-road vehicle—although both are cars, the design standards and applicable scenarios are vastly different. Photovoltaic cables are specifically used for the series cables between photovoltaic modules on the DC side of photovoltaic power generation systems, as well as the parallel cables between strings and from strings to the DC distribution box.

Photovoltaic cables use cross-linked polyolefin materials, which undergo changes in molecular structure after being irradiated by an irradiation accelerator, thereby comprehensively enhancing their performance. Ordinary cables mostly use polyvinyl chloride or cross-linked polyethylene insulation, with a polyvinyl chloride sheath.

This molecular-level change has given photovoltaic cables "superhuman" capabilities:

Heat resistance: Can still operate normally in an environment of 120℃.

Cold resistance: Remains flexible at -40℃ without cracking.

Aging Resistance: UV resistance performance far exceeds that of ordinary materials

The photovoltaic cables use a double-layer insulation structure, with conductors made of copper conductors or tinned copper conductors. The tinning treatment not only prevents oxidation but also enhances corrosion resistance. In contrast, ordinary cables mostly use bare copper cores, which can easily develop copper corrosion in humid environments, increasing contact resistance.

The latest group standard T/CTBA 006.1, implemented in March 2025, clearly stipulates that the DC cables used in photovoltaic power generation systems must use halogen-free low-smoke flame-retardant cross-linked polyolefin materials, ensuring safety from the source of the materials.

Photovoltaic cables must withstand mechanical loads during installation and maintenance. In practical applications, cables are often routed over sharp edges of rooftop structures, while also having to endure pressure, bending, tension, cross-stretching loads, and strong impacts.

Tensile Strength: Photovoltaic cables are 30% higher than ordinary cables.

Bending life: Photovoltaic cables can reach over 10,000 times, which is five times that of ordinary cables.

Tear resistance: Photovoltaic cables are 2.5 times stronger than ordinary cables.

At noon in summer, the surface temperature of photovoltaic cables can reach 85℃. During the same period, ordinary cables have begun to soften and deform, while photovoltaic cables maintain stable performance within the range of -40℃ to 120℃.

Photovoltaic cables must also withstand the triple test of ultraviolet rays, ozone, and humidity.

UV Resistance: Special formula materials can withstand up to 25 years of outdoor exposure.

Ozone Resistance: No cracking for 168 hours in an ozone environment with a concentration of 50 pphm.

Moisture and Heat Resistance: Performance stability for 1000 hours at 85℃ and 85% relative humidity.

The DC resistance of photovoltaic cables is 15-20% lower than that of ordinary cables, which means that when transmitting the same current, photovoltaic cables have lower energy loss.

Taking a 100MW photovoltaic power station as an example:

Using photovoltaic cables: Annual power generation loss of approximately 2.5%

Using ordinary cables: Annual power generation loss may reach 4%

According to a 25-year operating cycle, the difference in electricity cost losses exceeds 30 million yuan.

Photovoltaic cables generally use halogen-free low-smoke flame-retardant materials, which do not release toxic gases even when burned. The latest T/GDWCA 0128-2025 standard explicitly states that photovoltaic cables must use halogen-free low-smoke flame-retardant cross-linked polyolefin insulation and cross-linked polyolefin sheathing.

Most ordinary cables do not have flame-retardant properties, and once ignited, they can easily spread. Additionally, burning polyvinyl chloride materials releases a large amount of toxic smoke.

Photovoltaic cables must undergo specialized certification testing, which mainly includes:

TÜV Certification: Rhine Certification in Germany, requires passing a durability test of 12,000 hours.

UL Certification: American safety certification, focusing on fire performance.

CQC Certification: China Quality Certification Center Certification

These certifications ensure the reliability of photovoltaic cables over an expected lifespan of 25 years. In contrast, the standard requirements for ordinary cables are much more lenient.

The newly released standards T/CTBA 006.1-2025 and T/GDWCA 0128-2025 in 2025 have made stricter regulations on the technical requirements and inspection methods for photovoltaic cables.

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