TL;DR
A rapid shutdown device is the module-level electronic unit—mounted under or built into each solar panel—that opens or shorts the circuit on command so array wiring de-energizes for emergencies. Standalone versions from makers like Tigo and APsmart pair with string inverters that transmit a keep-alive signal; lose the signal and the units disconnect automatically.
What it means
A rapid shutdown device is the module-level electronic unit—mounted under or built into each solar panel—that opens or shorts the circuit on command so array wiring de-energizes for emergencies. Standalone versions from makers like Tigo and APsmart pair with string inverters that transmit a keep-alive signal; lose the signal and the units disconnect automatically. Listing to UL 1741 and pairing certified transmitter and receiver are what make the system code-compliant, not the panel brand.
Where it sits in the glossary
Rapid shutdown device is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
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