How to use BOS: Electrical Components

Summary

This article explains how to configure Balance of System (BOS) components in OpenSolar—focusing on isolators, wiring, cabling, and meters. It walks you through:

• Accessing the electrical components editor

• Automatically or manually assigning isolators and cables

• Viewing component compatibility using system-specific filters

• Editing cable lengths and validating voltage drops

• Managing all non-panel components from the Others tab

Whether you're designing with string inverters or microinverters, this guide will help you configure your BOS setup accurately and efficiently.

Note: The following integration is only available in the United Kingdom. 

What is BOS?

BOS (Balance of System) includes all the components of a solar system excluding the solar panels. These parts ensure proper connectivity, safety, and monitoring of energy flow.

OpenSolar’s BOS setup focuses on:

• Wiring

• AC and DC Isolators

• Meters

• DC Optimizers

• Cables and trunk lines

How to Add Isolators and Cabling to a Project

Step 1: Prepare Your Design

• Finalize your system and string your inverters.

• Allow system calculations to complete before editing components.

Step 2: Open the Electrical Components Dialog

Choose one of the following:

• Inverters tab > Add Isolators and Cabling

• Others tab > View Inverter Logic

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Auto vs. Manual Component Assignment

If Using String Inverters:

Auto-Apply Components

• Choose isolation mode: parallel or separate

• OpenSolar assigns:

  • AC and DC Isolators

  • DC Cabling

• Matches components using the hardware database.

Manual Selection

• Click [+] or an existing component.

• Use filtered search for compatible products.

   

Compatibility indicators:

• ✅ Compatible

• ⚠️ Partial issues

• ❌ Incompatible

You can:

• Adjust cable lengths

• See real-time voltage drop updates

• Swap components with smart filtering

If Using Microinverters:

• Dialog layout differs.

• Allows addition of AC Isolators and trunk cabling.

• Auto-apply is not supported, but compatibility is still validated.

Managing Additional Components

Use the Others tab to:

• View and manage all non-panel system parts

• Filter by component type (optimizers, isolators, cables, meters, etc.)

• Switch between:

  • Bundled View (grouped by product)

  • Unbundled View (itemized for edits/reordering)

Final Tips

• Let system calculations complete before editing BOS components.

• Use auto-apply for quick configuration; manual selection for full control.

• Use validation icons to ensure system compatibility.

• Edit cable length and see updated electrical impact in real-time.