Nextpower has been issued a patent for NX PowerMerge, a trunk bus that consolidates multiple field connections on ground-mounted solar projects onto a single device.

In utility-scale solar plants, DC collection systems connect power from multiple solar panel strings to larger trunk conductors, with connection points distributed across thousands of locations throughout the array. The cabling, connectors, and collection hardware that carry direct current from the modules to the inverters are known collectively as the electrical balance of system (eBOS). Because that hardware and the labor to install it reach every corner of the array, eBOS represents a meaningful share of utility-scale project cost, and reducing the number of field terminations is one of the most direct routes to faster, more repeatable construction. Nextpower's eBOS portfolio offers two DC collection methods: trunk bus and combiner box architectures.

According to the company, users of NX PowerMerge highlight its simplified field installation. "[Customers] point to the single trunk cable connection point and an installation tool that verifies pressure every time, so there is no more guesswork in the field. The connector body is universal across trunk cable sizes, giving EPC teams the flexibility to handle design changes as projects evolve," said Ryan Schofield, vice president, electrical – eBOS at Nextpower.

BUILD Renewables has ordered NX PowerMerge for a pipeline of PV projects, increasing Nextpower's backlog for the product to more than 2 GW.

"BUILD Renewables is excited to be partnering with Nextpower on their NX PowerMerge eBOS product, which provides exemplary safety, installation velocity and performance features. We also appreciate the integrated design with the tracker and other solar power plant components," said Craig Sandeen, president and CEO of BUILD Renewables.

Nextpower is the eBOS brand of solar tracker maker Nextracker, one of the world's largest suppliers of utility-scale trackers. Nextracker entered the solar eBOS market in 2025 by acquiring Bentek, a manufacturer of DC collection products, and the newly patented NX PowerMerge trunk bus sits alongside combiner box offerings in the company's DC collection portfolio for utility-scale projects. The BUILD Renewables order, with its explicit reference to integrated design with trackers, reflects the cross-selling rationale behind that acquisition. For a brand that reached the market in 2025, the combination of patent protection on the trunk bus and a backlog above 2 GW provides its first public markers of differentiation and demand, with broader EPC adoption beyond BUILD Renewables' pipeline standing as the clearest signal to watch as the line competes against established eBOS suppliers.

News item from Nextpower, published by Solar Power World.