Utility-scale solar developers and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors are turning to factory-built electrical balance of system (EBOS) solutions to mitigate mounting field labor costs and construction delays. Speaking at pv magazine USA Week 2026, Voltage Energy global director of engineering Jenny Levin detailed how factory-to-field assembly transforms high-risk field wiring into a standardized, plug-and-play installation model.
While solar photovoltaic modules represent the single largest equipment line item on a project site, overall installation labor accounts for up to 15% to 20% of total capital expenditure. Traditional DC field wiring requires running dedicated string lines back to combiner boxes, stripping insulation on site, and performing thousands of manual connector crimps in open field environments. On a modern utility site, these manual terminations multiply to tens or hundreds of thousands of individual connections, creating high exposure to connector mismatch, improper polarity, mechanical wire abrasion, and water intrusion.
To solve these compounding field risks, Voltage Energy utilizes custom factory-engineered harnesses and trunk bus architectures. By manufacturing cable runs, pre-set break-outs, and overmolded connections in a clean facility, every assembly undergoes factory quality control—including electrical continuity, contact resistance, insulation resistance, and Hi-Pot testing—before being spooled and shipped. The standardized kits roll directly out onto site cable management systems, reducing required field labor skill levels and accelerating overall commissioning schedules.
Pre-engineered EBOS systems also enable cost-optimized conductor selections. While traditional stringing relies entirely on copper conductors, factory-injected overmolded transitions allow projects to integrate high-strand aluminum trunk lines for long runs across array blocks while maintaining copper-to-copper plug interface connections in the field. Furthermore, as module and inverter manufacturers rollout 2,000 V system architectures, centralized trunk bus systems lower total system complexity by reducing combiner box counts and total cabling volume while increasing energy yield by 0.5% to 0.8%.
Q&A Highlights
Following the keynote presentation, I joined Jenny Levin to discuss domestic manufacturing ramp-up, supply chain flexibility, and high-voltage system readiness.
Ryan Kennedy: “You mentioned that Voltage has made a major push into U.S. manufacturing at your Timberlake, North Carolina facility. What can you tell us about the manufacturing plans in the U.S. and what was the motivation behind that decision?”
Jenny Levin: “International production is great for utilizing global talent and bringing costs down, but being able to manufacture in the U.S. is really about delivering the best product and service to customers. Having multiple production plants gives us tremendous flexibility. Certain customers are requiring U.S.-made products for domestic content, and other customers might need last-minute deliveries with short shipping times. Manufacturing locally allows us to be flexible and execute quickly.”
Ryan Kennedy: “Great. And is that factory currently in the ramp-up stage?”
Jenny Levin: “Yes, we have started production and we are currently in the ramp-up stage. As a mechanical engineer, I’m thrilled to see all the machines and to see jobs coming to North Carolina!”
Ryan Kennedy: “And how is Voltage preparing for the market’s eventual shift towards 2,000-volt system architectures?”
Jenny Levin: “We have already upgraded our product portfolio—including LINX Plus and our harness lines—to be fully rated for 2,000 volts. As sites begin shifting to 2,000V, we’re working closely with developers on optimized cable routing strategies to maximize the cost savings and efficiency gains that higher voltage unlocks.”
Watch the full pv magazine USA week 2026 keynote from Voltage Energy below, starting at 4:37:
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
Comments
Please login to comment
Monday, November 2, 2026
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Thursday, November 5, 2026
10:00 am – 11:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
You have no items in your basket.
