AMtec Solar's Featured Installation

Contractor: Erickson Construction Electrical/Solar Division

About: A Full Service Contracting Firm Since 1990.

Building upon Excellence with Commitment, Creative Thinking and Attention to Detail.

The Project

Located in northern New Mexico, this 500kW solar-electric power system when completed will be the largest photovoltaic installation in the state to date. The system uses a ground mounted single axis tracker and is being installed for a utility co-op to shave peek hours of usage.

Over the years we at Erickson Construction have used a variety of brands and types of solar combiner boxes for our installations. On several of our projects we have used manufacturers that utilize NEMA 4 metal boxes with a heavy powder coating. In these cases the boxes worked well, but although they used quality stainless steel hardware we found that in the process of attaching the hardware, using screws or rivets, the holes made in the boxes produced rust locations in less than one year. In some cases the manufacturers used a stainless steel hinge, only the center post of the hinge was not stainless and therefore rusting also occurred. These rust markings are on the outside of the boxes and leave an unsatisfactory look to the project even if we do not end up with any failures.

Another problem we experience with powder coated metal boxes is that they do not seem to stand up to UV sunrays well. In most cases the powder coating seems to oxidize very rapidly. Once a layer of oxidation takes place the degradation of the powder coat will likely slow down, but it will still look unsightly. We warranty our installs for a period of ten years, and I’m afraid of what they may look like by the end of that period using the metal boxes.

We have found that the AMtec Solar fiberglass combiner boxes seem to withstand the UV sunrays better than the metal boxes, and that we end up with no rusting or ugly rust marks on the product after at least the first year. Some of our findings and complaints are only from a visual standpoint of the products, but when Erickson Construction Solar/Electrical Division is installing a system, we want it to last for the 20 years projected, and at that 20 years we want a system install to still look and function as it was originally intended.

We highly recommend AMtec Solar fiberglass combiner boxes.

Dan Felix,

General Manager

Erickson Construction Solar/Electrical Division