{"id":877,"count":33,"description":"<p>The cable is the most underestimated component in a photovoltaic installation and the one that causes the greatest loss of efficiency when chosen incorrectly. In low-voltage direct current systems, the currents are very high, and an insufficient cross-section results in voltage drop, heat build-up and energy loss on a daily basis.<\/p>\n<h2>What cable size do I need?<\/h2>\n<p>It depends on three variables: the current that will flow, the length of the circuit \u2014 there and back \u2014 and the voltage drop you are prepared to accept, normally a maximum of 3 % for battery sections.<br \/>\nA common example: a <a href=\"\/en\/product-category\/solar-inverters\/inverters-12-v\/\">12V, 2,000 W inverter<\/a> It requires around 185 A. At a distance of 2 metres from the battery, a 50 mm\u00b2 cable is needed; with a 25 mm\u00b2 cable, the voltage drop would be unacceptable and the cable would overheat.<br \/>\nYou have published the <a href=\"\/en\/how-to-calculate-the-cross-section-of-a-cable\/\">Cable cross-section table by power rating<\/a> with the calculations already done for 12, 24 and 48 V. It is the most frequently visited page on our website and resolves 90 % of cases without the need for calculations.<\/p>\n<h2>A battery cable and a solar cable are not the same thing<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Battery cable:<\/strong> flexible, large-cross-section, with temperature-resistant insulation. This is the cable that runs from the battery to the inverter, the busbar or the booster, and carries the highest currents in the system.<br \/>\n<strong>Solar cable:<\/strong> usually 4 or 6 mm\u00b2, with double insulation and UV resistance, as it will be exposed to the elements for years. A standard cable exposed to the sun will deteriorate within a couple of seasons.<br \/>\nFor Victron installations, we also have <a href=\"\/en\/product-category\/electrical-equipment\/victron-cables\/\">Victron-specific cables<\/a> \u2014VE.Direct, VE.Can, VE.Bus and RJ45\u2014 which are used for communication between devices, not for power.<\/p>\n<h2>Terminals and protective covers<\/h2>\n<p>A 50 mm\u00b2 cable with a poorly crimped terminal is bound to cause a hot spot. Use <a href=\"\/en\/product-category\/electrical-equipment\/screw-terminals\/\">terminals<\/a> of the exact size and using the right tool, and secures each section with its <a href=\"\/en\/product-category\/electrical-equipment\/fuses\/\">fuse<\/a> as close as possible to the source.<br \/>\nIf you tell us which devices you\u2019re going to connect and the distances involved, we\u2019ll work out the cable sizes for you: <a href=\"\/en\/victron-support\/\">technical advice<\/a> free.<\/p>","link":"https:\/\/fvcomponentes.com\/en\/categoria-producto\/material-electrico\/cables-electricos\/","name":"Electrical cables","slug":"electrical-cables","taxonomy":"product_cat","parent":410,"meta":[],"menu_order":89,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fvcomponentes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat\/877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fvcomponentes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fvcomponentes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/taxonomies\/product_cat"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fvcomponentes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat\/410"}],"wp:post_type":[{"href":"https:\/\/fvcomponentes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?product_cat=877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}