Molex's breakthrough Dow POWERHOUSE

     Molex Corporation has won the 2014 Chicago Innovation Award for its development of a connector system that provides electrical connectivity for Dow Chemical's POWERHOUSE solar roof panel. Molex interconnect systems have helped Dow bring ground-breaking new solar roof solutions to residential consumers across the United States and Canada.

     Jeff Gaumer, New Product Development Manager at Molex, said, "We are honored to receive the Chicago Innovation Award for our collaborative design with Dow Chemical. At Molex, our innovation platform can be demonstrated in a number of ways, the most important of which is through the success of our customers. For POWERHOUSE Solar roof panels, our partnership with Dow is a great example of what can be achieved through customer collaboration and can change market conditions."

     POWERHOUSE Solar roof panels act as both a roofing solution and a clean renewable energy source, designed to be used directly and fixed to surfaces such as standard asphalt roofs, while integrated photovoltaic (PV) cells convert sunlight into electricity. The interconnect system offered by Molex consists of three products that connect the roof panels together and form a circuit: connectors are formed directly on each solar roof panel, batteries are inserted into plugs to connect to each row of roof panels, and wiring harnesses connect each row of roof panels together and connect the entire system to the inverter.