Westinghouse Solar is introducing its new Instant Connect module which is intended to further simplify the installation of photovoltaics.

It’s the next generation in a line of integrated PV products the company has introduced to reduce the amount of time and complexity of installing PV on roofs.

Westinghouse Solar’s modules already integrated racking, mounting, grounding and microinverters—making them AC—into their modules. But now they’re introducing an even easier plug-and-play system that basically plugs them in as they’re slid into place and mounted on the roof.

“It’s the industry’s first fully integrated plug-and-play power system. It’s a pretty substantial change in how solar will be installed in the future,” said Westinghouse Solar Vice President of Marketing Gary Mull. “The second part of our technology that brings it all together is our splice system. It joins panel to panel mechanically. It also automates the grounding process.”

By integrating everything, it does a couple of things, according to Mull.

“The modules eliminate the need for solar installers to install separate racking systems on the roof. It removes the cost of having to purchase all disparate parts and eliminates the need to build that inventory or manage that cost,” he said.

The panels are intended to help installers increase their profits from installations by helping them reduce their balance of system costs, according to Mull.

“From an installer point of view, there’s an interesting dynamic. As solar panel prices have continued to drop, there’s been an opportunity for homeowners to take advantage of lower costs,” he said. “What’s clear to us is lower prices have driven demand.”

That price drop and more solar installers has also meant smaller margins for installers as balance of systems cost has crept up to almost half the cost of an installation, Mull said.

By speeding the installation process, a Westinghouse Solar video claims a system can be installed in 30 minutes, and reducing the extra components a PV installer has to buy helps increase an installer’s profits, he said.