PV-STRING-1500V
DC 1500 V Solar String Cable for Utility-Scale Arrays
String and home-run cable for 1500 V blocks, supplied cut to the length your array layout actually needs.
String cable on a 1500 V utility block is a logistics product as much as an electrical one. A 2 MW block can contain several hundred strings, each with its own route length, and every metre of oversized copper is money spent on material instead of on the array. The electrical answer to 1500 V is straightforward: the same power at two-thirds the current of a 1000 V array, which lets fewer, longer strings feed each inverter without the loss climbing.
What that means for the cable is a higher voltage stress across the insulation and a longer hot period under load. The insulation wall on a 1500 V DC construction is thicker than on a 1000 V one for the same cross-section, and the compound is held to the same 120 °C for 20 000 h endurance requirement. Voltcore supplies 1500 V string cable in 4 mm² to 35 mm², cut to the route length and marked in metres, so the crew pulls only what each string needs.
Specification
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Rated voltage | DC 1.5 kV maximum system voltage |
| Conductor | Class 5 flexible tinned copper, IEC 60228 |
| Cross-section range | 4 – 35 mm² |
| Core arrangement | Single core, laid in parallel pairs or routed singly |
| Insulation | Electron-beam cross-linked halogen-free XLPO, 0.8–1.2 mm |
| Sheath | Electron-beam cross-linked halogen-free XLPO, 0.8–1.1 mm |
| Service temperature at conductor | −40 °C to +90 °C |
| Thermal endurance | 120 °C for 20 000 h to EN 50618 |
| Short-circuit temperature | 250 °C for 5 s |
| Voltage test | 6.5 kV AC for 5 min on finished cable |
| Standard | EN 50618 / IEC 62930 |
| Supply form | Cut lengths, 100 m coils, or wooden drums |
Layer-by-layer construction
Listed from the conductor outward. Read this alongside the specification table — the two together tell you whether the cable will survive its installation method.
- 1. ConductorClass 5 flexible tinned annealed copper, 56 × 0.30 mm to 276 × 0.40 mm, to IEC 60228
- 2. Insulation wallElectron-beam cross-linked halogen-free XLPO, 0.8–1.2 mm nominal, sized for 1.5 kV DC stress
- 3. Sheath wallCross-linked halogen-free XLPO outer wall, 0.8–1.1 mm nominal, UV and ozone stabilised
- 4. MarkingMetre marking plus designation, size and standard, printed along the sheath
Reference dimensions and weights
| Nominal cross-section (mm²) | Conductor structure (n×mm) | Insulation thickness (mm) | Sheath thickness (mm) | Approx. overall diameter (mm) | Approx. weight (kg/km) | Max. DC resistance at 20 °C (Ω/km) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 56 × 0.30 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 6.7 | 85 | 5.09 |
| 6 | 84 × 0.30 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 7.6 | 113 | 3.39 |
| 10 | 80 × 0.40 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 9.5 | 173 | 1.95 |
| 16 | 126 × 0.40 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 10.9 | 248 | 1.24 |
| 25 | 196 × 0.40 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 12.8 | 367 | 0.795 |
| 35 | 276 × 0.40 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 14.5 | 488 | 0.565 |
Reference figures for preliminary sizing and drum planning. Overall diameter and weight vary with strand construction and sheath thickness tolerance; certified drawings are issued with each quotation.
Engineering characteristics
- Type-tested for 1.5 kV DC system voltage, with the insulation wall sized for that stress rather than for 1.0 kV.
- 120 °C for 20 000 h thermal endurance, the same requirement a 1000 V PV cable has to meet.
- Resistance tabulated per size so a string voltage-drop calculation can be done before the order is placed.
- Supplied cut to route length, which removes the offcut waste a per-drum purchase leaves on a large block.
- Tinned Class 5 strands hold their conductivity in a humid combiner box where plain copper would corrode.
- Installable at −40 °C, so a cold-morning pull on a high-altitude site does not need the drums heated.
Typical applications
- String runs from the module row to the DC combiner box
- Home-run cable from the combiner box to the central inverter
- 1500 V DC collection on utility-scale ground-mount blocks
- Re-stringing of older 1000 V arrays being repowered to 1500 V
- Tracker-mounted runs where the cable moves with the torque tube
Ordering options
- Cut to string length with metre-marked sheath, or supplied on 500 m and 1000 m drums
- 4 mm² and 6 mm² pre-cut sets with MC4-compatible connectors fitted
- Black sheath as standard; red or blue available for DC polarity identification
- Plain or tinned copper Class 5 conductor
- Private-label printing and drum labels for distributor programmes
Standards manufactured to
- EN 50618
- IEC 62930
- IEC 60228
- IEC 60332-1-2
- RoHS
Manufactured to other standards on request. Send the standard number with your RFQ and we will quote against it rather than against a near-equivalent.
Price and availability for DC 1500 V Solar String Cable
Include cross-section, core count, voltage grade, route length and installation method — those five determine price more than anything else on the page.
- Engineer-reviewed before pricing
- Reference drawings issued with the quotation
- Free sample up to free sample up to 5 m
DC 1500 V Solar String Cable — frequently asked questions
Why does a 1500 V array need a different cable from a 1000 V one?
The current falls, so the copper can be smaller for the same power, but the voltage stress across the insulation rises by half. A 1500 V construction carries a thicker insulation wall and is type tested at 6.5 kV AC for 5 min instead of the lower figure a 1000 V cable sees. Using 1000 V cable on a 1500 V string is the failure an electrical inspector looks for first.
How do I work out the cross-section for my string length?
Take the one-way route length, multiply by the module current at maximum power, and use the loop resistance for the size you are considering at +90 °C rather than at 20 °C. Keep the loss under 1.5–2% of the system voltage. As a rough guide, 4 mm² suits runs to about 60 m, 6 mm² to 90 m, and 10 mm² beyond that at typical string currents.
Do you supply the cable cut to length with connectors?
Yes. Voltcore cuts 4 mm² and 6 mm² to the string length your layout gives and fits MC4-compatible connectors at both ends. The alternative is bulk drum supply for crews that terminate on site. Both are produced on the same line; the choice is usually about crew cost on site versus freight volume.
What is the minimum order and the lead time?
The standard minimum is 500 m per size, and lead time is 15–25 working days from Yixing, shipped from Shanghai or Ningbo. Samples up to 5 m are free. For a utility block the usual arrangement is a single order covering all sizes, released against the stringing schedule so drums arrive as each block starts.