I'm from an Insurance carrier and have a question if someone could help.
A question recently arose around equipment breakdown coverage on risks with solar panels. I reached out to HSB to clarify their guidelines and you can see below the guidance they have developed for when a risk needs to be referred for pricing and terms. That guidance is based on the listed nameplate rating of the equipment. When I look at samples of solar panel nameplates the primary field I see is ‘Peak Power/Maximum Power/Pmax’ – would you agree this is the field we should be looking at to determine the total generating power of one solar panel or a field of them?
Thank you,
John Lack
Acuity's Construction Consultant.
I believe the answer to you question is yes. The maximum power, at Standard Test Conditions, often abbreviated Pmax, is what I would assume someone is referring to when they refer to the 'module nameplate'. It is typically the wattage that the module is sold as, and what is referred to in contract documents. That's standard industry practice in my experience.
For example, if someone signs a contract for a 50 kilowatt solar system consisting of (125) 400 watt solar modules, it would be assumed, unless otherwise clearly stated, that 400 watts is the maximum power at STC on the modules' datasheet. If one is trying to determine, say, what constitutes equivalent replacement equipment if it is accidentally destroyed, 50kW of solar panels is the number one would use in this example.
(In most companies I've worked for the contract specifies DC watts, i.e. solar panel equipment, not inverters. This to avoid confusion with the AC nameplate of inverters. Also because the DC number is almost always bigger and therefore sounds better.
)