New 1,000 Volt Direct Current Eaton PVGard® Breakers Meet UL 489B Standard

PITTSBURGH … Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation today introduced its new line of molded case circuit breakers (MCCBs) designed for commercial and utility scale photovoltaic (PV) systems. Used in solar combiner and inverter applications, Eaton PVGard circuit breakers are rated up to 600 ampere (A) at 1000 volts (V) direct current (DC). Eaton's PVGard MCCB meets Underwriters Laboratories® 489B, which requires rigorous testing to verify circuit protection that meets the specific requirements of PV systems.

"By leveraging the expertise that developed the first molded case and electronic circuit breakers, Eaton continues to deliver a broad range of industry-leading circuit protection solutions and innovations designed to meet emerging PV industry standards and renewable energy requirements," said Heejung Pudner, product manager at Eaton. "Circuit breakers play a critical role in delivering solar energy. Designed to PV specific criteria, Eaton PVGard circuit breakers are engineered to enhance safety, increase PV system reliability, provide robust performance and improve sustainability."

The PVGard circuit breakers provide load and no-load switching, interruption at low fault current levels and ambient cycling over a wide temperature range for performance required in PV environments. Eaton engineered the PVGard circuit breakers for the protection, switching and isolation of PV systems up to 1000V DC.

A sustainable solution, PVGard circuit breakers are reusable after clearing an electrical fault. Once the condition that created the fault is identified and repaired, the circuit breaker can simply be reset.

With their continuous current, PVGard circuit breakers are 100-percent rated to the UL 489 standard. They enable reductions in breaker, conductor and enclosure sizes and can help promote potential cost savings. Additionally, Eaton DC breakers have a variety of accessories to provide PV string status, enable remote tripping, meet lock-out/tag-out safety standards and be customized to project specific requirements.

For additional information on the new Eaton PVGard and other MCCB direct current products go visit www.eaton.com/pvgard.

Eaton's electrical business is a global leader in power distribution, power quality, control and automation, power monitoring, and energy management products and services. Eaton is positioned, through its global electrical product series and solutions to answer today's most critical electrical power management challenges.

Eaton Corporation is a diversified power management company with more than 100 years of experience providing energy-efficient solutions that help our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power. With 2011 sales of $16.0 billion, Eaton is a global technology leader in electrical components, systems and services for power quality, distribution and control; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment; aerospace fuel, hydraulics and pneumatic systems for commercial and military use; and truck and automotive drivetrain and powertrain systems for performance, fuel economy and safety. Eaton has approximately 73,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 150 countries. For more information, visit www.eaton.com.