Clamp meter for solar power installations with CAT III/500V safety rating

Fluke has launched a new clamp meter to measure solar installation voltages at the new standard of 1500V while providing high safety specifications and being simple to use in congested solar combiner boxes. The Fluke 393 and 393 FC are claimed to be the world’s first True-rms solar clamp meters to be rated at CAT III/1500VDC according to the latest safety standard for clamp meters IEC/EN 61010-2-032:2019.

The clamp meter can measure up to 1500VDC compared to standard instruments for this application, which are restricted to 1000VDC.

This makes the Fluke 393 an ideal choice for the installation and maintenance of utility scale, large industrial and commercial-scale solar farms.

The instrument’s IP54 rating makes it suitable for testing solar installations in various climates and weather conditions, shielding the instrument from both dust and rain ingress.

The device provides connectivity to Fluke Connect, removing the requirement for handwritten notes. Fluke Connect enables maintenance technicians and service staff to document values and share them with their team. Up to 65,000 data points may be recorded and uploaded.

As well as voltage and current measurements, the new clamp meter offers DC power measurement and data logging to improve work efficiency.

Hans-Dieter Schuessele of Fluke says: “As the world’s first solar clamp meters to offer CAT III safety at 1500V, the new 393 and 393 FC clamp meters set a new standard in solar installation testing. Designed to be supremely safe and easy to use, they are a major contribution to helping installers and maintenance staff get solar farms online rapidly and keep them producing renewable energy.”