Our mission toward the energy transition: We want to make the installation of PV systems on the roof easier, faster and safer for installers. For this reason, we offer an extensive range of PV combiner boxes, surge protection devices, connectors, tools and components.
The combiner box product family PV Next offers standard variants for DC-side protection of the installation between PV panel and inverter. At the same time, PV strings can be combined in the PV boxes to reduce the amount of cabling required.
Get to know our photovoltaic products for rooftop systems here and find many more tips on photovoltaic installation.
| Product | Product & installation type | Typical application | Type of current | Number of MPP | Voltage | Additional function | To the product catalog |
| PV Next | Combiner box (ready-to-connect box) | Single-family house, multi-family house, commercial building, industrial scale | DC | 1-12 | 1000 V | Combination of strings, load-break switch, optionally with cable gland or PV connector | To the product catalog |
| PV Next Fireman Switch | Combiner box with auto. emergency shutdown (ready-to-connect box) | Single-family house, multi-family house, commercial building, industrial scale | DC | 1-6 | 1000 V | Automatic disconnection and reconnection in case of an emergency, combination of strings, optionally with cable gland or PV connector | To the product catalog |
| PV DC combiner box | Combiner box for systems in the commercial /industrial segment (ready-to-connect box) | Industrial scale | DC | 1-12 | 1500 V | Combination of strings, optionally with monitoring | To the product catalog |
| PV Protect | Overvoltage protection box (ready-to-connect box, additional Y-cable or X-cable required) | Single-family house, multi-family house; especially retrofitting | DC | 1-12 | 1000 V, 1500 V | Optionally with cable gland or PV connector | To the product catalog |
| VARITECTOR Lightning and surge protection for photovoltaic systems | Component for mounting rail installation, plug-in modules or monoblock (mounting rail) | All system types (rooftop and ground-mounted systems) | DC | Individual | 600 V, 1000 V, 1500 V | Advanced surge protection for photovoltaic energy generation | To the product catalog |
| V-Data | Component for mounting rail installation (mounting rail) | Overvoltage protection for data communication | DC | - | 24 V | Special variants for the most common industrial data systems, like Ethernet, RS 485, RS 232. | To the product catalog |
| VARITECTOR AC Lightning and surge protection | Component for mounting rail installation (single arrester (1–4 poles) for mounting rail or ZPA for busbar) | Wherever AC voltage is present, all building types, retrofitting of existing systems | AC | - | 230 V | Comprehensive protection against damage and downtimes | To the product catalog |
| AC SPD-Box | Overvoltage protection box for charging boxes (ready-to-connect box) | Protection of the charging box and PV system against overvoltage for cable lengths >10 meters | AC | - | 230 V | Surge protection for data communication | To the product catalog |
Are you looking for solutions to increase the efficiency of your photovoltaic installation projects? This section provides an overview of the right products for reliable protection in commercial and residential buildings. Learn more about our PV combiner boxes for different inverter types.
In our TECH TALK video series, we focus on our customers’ challenges and present a short and simple solution. In our PV-Edition we deal with special tips and tricks for the installation of photovoltaic systems on the roof.
The webinar recordings provide deeper insight into installing rooftop PV systems with our products. What is the best way to protect your equipment from overvoltage? Want to know how to find the right combiner box? You will learn this and more in our webinars.
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Let us analyze a common and unnecessary cause of failure in PV rooftop systems: poor crimp connections. If you don’t want to crimp on the roof in the future, try our PV-Stick.
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In this video you will learn how to disconnect photovoltaic strings from the power flow safely and easily with our PV Next combiner boxes with DC switch.
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Learn how to use our simple selection tool to find the perfect PV combiner box for your inverter and free yourself from the data sheet jungle.
Our reference projects around the world are the best proof of our many years of experience in the development and production of solutions for the photovoltaic industry. Whether for rooftop or ground-mounted PV systems, on water or in the desert, our products have been tried and tested and successfully used for many years.
A rooftop PV system requires an IEC 61439-2-approved GFCI to protect the system against overvoltage. The PV Next combiner box also offers additional functions, such as bundling strings for reduced cabling work. Depending on the installation type, overvoltage protection Type II or Type I+II is required. You can easily find the right variant using the selection guide on our website.
Learn how to choose the right PV combiner box in our fact sheet
The overvoltage protection inside a PV combiner box (DC side of the installation) is one part of the lightning protection system (LPS) of a building and is mandatory according to EN 51643-32 in the EU since 2019. It is used to protect your PV system and provides additional overcurrent protection for the strings in the event of a module failure.
You can find detailed information on surge protection for PV systems in our fact sheet
Depending on the kind of photovoltaic installation, a combiner box with fuses is required. According to the IEC 62548:2016, fuses are mandatory if the maximum return current is higher than the return current of the module.
How to correctly dimension and calculate fuses you can learn in our fact sheet
To ensure the return on investment of a PV system, all products from the modules to the inverters and GAKs should have a lifetime of 20 years. The correct selection and design of all components and the subsequent validation of their interaction will result in a long lifetime of the product.
Which components influence the lifetime of combiner boxes you will find in our fact sheet
Installing combiner boxes close to the PV modules to combine strings is a popular option. This may result in the bundled strings having currents that are too high for the input of the inverter. If the current is distributed evenly to the inputs of the inverter, this prevents too high a current from being fed in.
How this can be implemented in the installation is explained in our fact sheet
In residential installations, the PV modules are often installed on the roof and the string inverters are placed in the basement. An IEC 61439-2 approved combiner box offers the possibility to combine strings and save installation time, material and space for cables running through the building.
Examples of installation and which cable cross-sections you need for your strings can be found in our fact sheet
PV systems require a DC load-break switch according to IEC 60364-7-712. These switches can be integrated in string inverters, combiner boxes, fireman switches, or similar devices. Until 2018, DIN EN-60947-3 considered only DC switches for 24 V or lower power ratings. Until 2018, DIN EN-60947-3 considered only DC switches for 24 V or lower power ratings.
You can find detailed information on surge protection for PV systems in our fact sheet
Photovoltaic installations are designed for a lifetime of more than 30 years. According to IEC 62548:2016, there is a need for UV-resistant marking in PV installations to ensure the lifetime of markers and stickers.
You can find detailed information on UV resistance in our fact sheet
An emergency shutdown in the event of a fire is specified by the building insurer or the local fire brigade. In this case, the string lines running trough the building must be switched off automatically if the fire brigade is called out. The technical solution is a fireman switch installed at the entry point of the strings lines into the building.
You can find more information about the PV next fireman switch in this fact sheet .
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