Conductors rated for 1000V and the same power you have in mind for the 600V conductors (hence lower current) can indeed use smaller wire, thus potentially saving on that aspect of the cost, and possibly making it lower in cost for a given system than the lower-voltage higher current counterpart.
If the European hardware you bought is fully certified to the required UL Standards for use in the USA, then product size is simply a matter of design differences. Could also be product volume since they are way ahead of us in the 1000V category. Issues we as manufacturers in America face when trying to compete with firms in other countries are: 1) numerous additional costs related to things like Workman's Comp insurance, social security (for every dollar you have withheld, the employer matches it), now mandatory health insurance for some (depending on company size), and so forth. 2) Strict environmental regulations that foreign companies may or may not have. Even if they DO, we often find enforcement of those rules to be very lax, especially in Asia. 3) Cost of living, thus higher wages in the USA. .. to name a few. Ends up being higher-cost products. Dan --- On Mon, 4/1/13, Chris Mason <[email protected]> wrote: From: Chris Mason <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Cable tray To: "RE-wrenches" <[email protected]> Date: Monday, April 1, 2013, 9:23 AM With regards to 600V costs Vs 1000V costs, once 1000V equipment becomes the norm, it is likely not to cost appreciably more, and the lower cost of copper will offset any increase. I bought 1000V SolarBos combiners which are huge, too big to use on my installation, so I bought the same item from the UK, which are tiny and easy to install, and half the cost. Something is wrong with the US approach to 100V equipment and switchgear in general. Why is the european equipment so much smaller for the same switching current.
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