Material traceability management empowers rural lighting electrical ready boards in Africa to strengthen the core material stability defense line

The power infrastructure in rural areas of Africa is weak, and most regions rely on off grid solar lighting systems. As the core carrier of power distribution and safety protection, the stability of lighting electrical ready boards directly affects the normal operation of key scenarios such as daily electricity consumption for residents, nighttime teaching in schools, and emergency diagnosis and treatment in rural clinics. Affected by the harsh natural environment of high temperature, high humidity, heavy rainfall, and large temperature difference between day and night in rural Africa, the materials of electrical ready boards are prone to corrosion, aging, insulation failure, and other problems. The construction of a material traceability management system has become a key means to ensure the consistency and stability of core materials, and to improve the weather resistance and service life of equipment.

1、 Special Requirements for Core Materials of electrical ready boards in African Rural Scenarios

The core material of rural lighting electrical ready boards in Africa needs to be adapted to both extreme natural environments and low-cost operation and maintenance needs, with stability indicators far exceeding conventional scenarios. The material of the shell should have strong corrosion resistance and impact resistance, and be able to cope with humid and hot weather as well as sand and dust erosion; Internal conductors and insulation materials need to meet low loss and high insulation characteristics, suitable for low load and long standby conditions of solar power supply systems; Seals need to withstand repeated high and low temperature cycles to prevent aging and cracking, which can lead to a decrease in waterproof and dustproof performance. Based on the experience of rural power grid projects in countries such as Ghana and Uganda, the core materials must strictly comply with IEC standards and higher local technical specifications, such as a zinc coating thickness of not less than 12 μ m for the shell, a copper conductor purity of ≥ 99.5%, and insulation materials with a flame retardant rating of V-0, in order to ensure long-term stable operation.

2、 Construction and Implementation Path of Material Traceability Management System

（1） Full chain traceability identification system, achieving material traceability and traceability

Establish a "source production delivery operation" full chain traceability file for the core components of the electrical ready board, using dual identification of QR code and laser engraving code to ensure accurate traceability of each batch of materials. In the upstream raw material process, for core materials such as cold-rolled steel plates, stainless steel shells, oxygen free copper wires, PC insulation materials, EPDM sealing strips, supplier qualifications, material testing reports, production batch numbers, and other information are recorded. For key conductive components such as magnetic core silicon steel sheets and copper wires, additional component testing data is recorded, such as unit loss of silicon steel sheets and core parameters such as copper wire conductivity. Related processing parameters in the production process, such as shell coating treatment temperature, insulation component forming process, etc; In the delivery and operation and maintenance process, the installation location and testing records will be updated to form a complete traceability database, providing data support for material stability tracking.

（2） Hierarchical control and testing linkage, strengthening material stability verification

Based on the cost and efficiency requirements of rural projects in Africa, establish a hierarchical traceability and control mechanism, and focus on implementing key supervision of core materials. For copper conductors, insulation materials, and circuit breaker components that affect electrical safety, a "mandatory inspection per batch+third-party re inspection" system is implemented. The testing items include conductivity, insulation resistance, arc resistance, short-circuit withstand capacity, etc., to ensure compliance with standards such as GB/T 14048.1 and IEC 60664-1, such as insulation resistance ≥ 100M Ω and short-circuit current 50kA/1s withstand capacity. For structural components such as shells and fasteners, the focus is on verifying the adhesion of anti-corrosion coatings, mechanical impact strength, and other indicators through traceability and factory inspection reports. At the same time, it is suitable for exposed installation scenarios in rural Africa, and the material verification corresponding to the IP65 protection level of the shell is strengthened to ensure stable dust and waterproof performance.

（3） Empowering and optimizing traceability data to dynamically enhance material adaptability

Based on the material usage data accumulated through traceability management, combined with the environmental differences in different regions of Africa, dynamically optimize material selection and supplier management. For example, in the rainy areas of West Africa, it was found through traceability data that the corrosion rate of ordinary cold-rolled steel plate shells is relatively high. It was promptly adjusted to SUS304 stainless steel material and the traceability file was updated; In response to the large temperature difference between day and night in the East African Plateau, the insulation material formula was optimized, and epoxy resin materials with a wider temperature resistance range were selected. Through traceability data verification, the aging rate was reduced by more than 30%. At the same time, a traceability data rating mechanism will be implemented for suppliers to eliminate those whose material stability does not meet the standards, ensuring the consistency of core material supply.

3、 The core value of material traceability management for rural lighting electrical ready boards in Africa

For rural power projects in Africa, material traceability management is not only a means of ensuring material stability, but also meets the practical needs of local operation and maintenance resource scarcity. On the one hand, by tracing the cause of the faulty material quickly, the time and cost of operation and maintenance investigation can be reduced, and problems such as school closures and clinic shutdowns caused by electrical ready board failures can be avoided. For example, in the rural school project in Uganda, the traceability system was used to quickly replace aging insulation components, ensuring the normal operation of night teaching. On the other hand, strict traceability and material control have improved equipment reliability, reduced duplicate procurement and replacement costs, met the low-cost and long-term operation needs of rural projects in Africa, and enhanced product compliance with international standards, helping equipment pass local certification and laying the foundation for rural electrification promotion.

In the future, with the continuous growth of the off grid solar lighting market in Africa, material traceability management will be further integrated with intelligent technology. Through remote monitoring and traceability data linkage, material aging warning will be achieved, providing full lifecycle guarantee for the stable operation of rural lighting electrical ready boards in Africa, and enabling reliable electricity to continuously empower rural development.