Industry Leaders Unite in Support of Rapid Shutdown Standard
SAN JOSE, Calif., May 13, 2020—The SunSpec Alliance is pleased to report that six additional SunSpec
members have announced products and services supporting the SunSpec Communication Signal for
Rapid Shutdown standard, bringing the size of the SunSpec Rapid Shutdown ecosystem to 12
companies.
SunSpec Rapid Shutdown ecosystem participants include balance-of-system suppliers with stand-alone
PV module-level initiators and transmitter products (APsystems, JMTHY, Midnite Solar, Stäubli and
ZERUN); inverter manufacturers with integrated transmitters (Fronius, Ginlong and SMA);
semiconductor companies (Texas Instruments) and SunSpec Authorized Testing Laboratories (CSA,
Intertek and UL).
“With the addition of these influential companies, the SunSpec Rapid Shutdown ecosystem is stronger
than ever and has increased capacity to promote safety and standardization across the distributed
energy landscape,” said Tom Tansy, chairman of the SunSpec Alliance. “As more solutions come to
market to help integrators comply with rapid shutdown requirements, these leaders are ensuring safe
deployment of solar and storage systems in the U.S.”
Since it launched the SunSpec Communication Signal for Rapid Shutdown standard, the SunSpec Alliance
has continued to hone and simplify the SunSpec Certification process and interoperability program.
Important advancements include supporting the test requirements with the UL 1741 standard and
mobilizing a co-operative marketing and educational program to raise the visibility and awareness of
SunSpec Rapid Shutdown solutions. SunSpec has also recently enhanced its local support capabilities for
manufacturing partners in Asia.
With this ecosystem expansion, solar professionals have more choices and a wider range of cost-
effective, standardized solutions to comply with rapid shutdown requirements. A total of nine product
lines from six manufacturers have achieved SunSpec Certified status, adding to a list of 79 products from
56 companies that have achieved SunSpec Certified status so far.
To learn more about SunSpec’s rapid shutdown program, visit https://rapidshutdown.sunspec.org, or
to see the list of SunSpec Certified products, visit https://sunspec.org/certified-registry/.
Testimonials
“The SunSpec Rapid Shutdown standard provides a communication platform for PV system module level
rapid shutdown devices (MLRSD). APsystems develops MLRSD and transmitters certified to the SunsSpec
standard. The products allow seamless integration and high reliability in solar systems with many
inverters. This provides designers and installers the flexibility to optimize the system cost and
performance. Since the standard unifies MLRSD communication and simplifies our design, APsystems
can focus on optimizing product design and manufacturing to drive down the cost. The standard brings
great value to the solar industry in safety, cost and performance.”
-Yuhao Luo, CTO, APsystems
“Fronius has been an early member of the SunSpec Alliance and is excited to see more industry
standards emerge. SunSpec has a proven track record of successfully establishing industry standards,
such as Modbus communications or smart inverter specifications. We were among the first ones to
launch a product based on the new SunSpec Rapid Shutdown standard and are excited to see the
ecosystem of products grow. Our belief is that industry standards support innovation to drive down cost
and to allow customer choice.”
-Richard Baldinger, Head of Marketing and Inside Sales, Fronius
“The PowerStore, a preferred channel partner for Fronius, is pleased to support the SunSpec Alliance
with industry standardized products for solar and storage professionals. We are a national distributor
that offers manufacturer agnostic solutions and competitive pricing for many different NEC 2017
compliant and SunSpec compliant products and solutions. Our knowledgeable staff are NEC and NABCEP
trained with the ability to offer design assistance to installers across the U.S.”
-Stewart White, Vice President, The PowerStore
“By using a SunSpec certified rapid shutdown device, SMA and our partners benefit from a best-in-class
shutdown solution. Solar integrators can meet code, expedite installation, reduce component count for
improved reliability, and eliminate risk associated with proprietary single-sourced alternatives. SunSpec
has been a game-changer for SMA and our installers.”
-Brad Dore, Director of Marketing, SMA America
Media Contact
SunSpec Alliance
Tom Tansy
M: Marketing@SunSpec.org
T: 408-217-9110
