Patent ID: 8740642

Claim:
A method of locating and electrically connecting a plurality of photovoltaic system components together comprising the steps of: a. providing a first photovoltaic system component with a first connector housing located on a side portion of the component, the connector housing including at least one first electrical connector terminal and at least one first locator feature; b. providing at least a second photovoltaic system component with a second connector housing located on a side portion of the component, the second connector housing including at least one second electrical connector terminal and at least one second locator feature; c. providing a connector that comprises i) a base portion including a first end portion, ii) a second portion, an intermediate portion and an outer surface; a locater portion located on the outer surface of the intermediate portion, the locator portion including a bearing wall that projects away from the outer surface and is shaped to generally complement an opposing connector housing in the photovoltaic device; and iii) at least one electrically conductive member that is substantially surround by the base portion and that spans between the first and second end portions and includes connective terminals at opposing ends that are shaped to interlock with an opposing terminal in the opposing connector housing; so that the bearing wall at least partially contacts an opposing surface in the connector housing; d. joining one end of the connector to the first connector housing; e. joining the opposing end of the connector to the second connector housing; f. rotationally locating the first and the second photovoltaic components to each other via the bearing wall of the connector; and g. repeating steps c-f for each of the plurality of photovoltaic system components.