PV Installation Guidelines

[Ted]

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/business/Global-Data/Publications/Photovoltaics-in-Buildings-Guide-to-the-installation-of-PV-systems-2nd-edition

Pdf file linked at the bottom of that page.

[Ted]

Electrical Safety Council Best Practice Guides:

Connecting a microgeneration system to a domestic or similar electrical installation

http://www.esc.org.uk/pdfs/business-and-community/electrical-industry/BPG3_08.pdf

[edit - new URL]

[Paulh_Boats]

More Nanny State rules for off gridders charging batteries.....but very thorough document from Energy Saving Trust.

-Paul

[Justme]

Its all well & good bringing out all these new "guidelines" but how do they plan on letting them people that need them?

Just putting it on some obscure professionals web site wont let many people know.

[daftlad]

Just putting it on some obscure professionals web site wont let many people know.

That's why God created THE TED.
He trawles these "obscure professionals web site" for us. Thanks Ted.
ta ta

[EccentricAnomaly]

Most of the document Ted references in his first post seems to be common sense (maybe a few more labels than I would hope to be necessary for anybody competent to do anything) but it says on page 31:

Isolation is to be installed and the system designed so that the PV array cannot directly feed the loads when the battery has been disconnected.

Any thoughts on why they say that?  If you have main positive and negative bus bars fed by one or more MPPTs and with a few battery strings and the various loads also directly connected to the bus bars, all with appropriate individual isolation and overcurrent protection, this would be awkward to achieve.

[Justme]

That's why God created THE TED.

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a TED

Or to be a member of a forum like this one.

As a % of all the people that are doing that stuff how many

a, have a TED
b, are on this of similar forum
c, would find & read the doc with out help


I would guess the numbers would be quite low.

[mpooley]

I'm pretty sure "Ted's" are a renewable rescource!

[chickensoup]

Ahh! Ted, this was the document, i asked you to send me!

                   chicken

[SnaxMuppet]

Just a quick update...

The system is now installed...

Thanks for everyon'e help, advice and comment.

This is a great forum... just wish I had found it 3 months ago... I wouldn't have used this installer!!!

The system is not yet functioning... it was too dark to test the system but if the system does not work tomorrow morning they will return Friday.

I am installing a Brultech montioring system as soon as I can get it shipped from the manufacturer so more info on other threads I expect.

Thanks again.

[DonL]

Thanks Ted
A really useful link.
Don

[Ted]

Here is a supplementary document to the original Installation Guide, listed at the start of this thread, which provides some more background and context. It also gives background where Section 712 (PV) of BS7671 is concerned.

But please do note the caveats that are included:

This document contains some of the background information which was used by the
writers to produce the guide, named “Photovoltaics in Buildings: Guide to the installation
of PV systems” (DTI/Pub URN 02/788). The guide itself contains the considered
recommendations of the group after consultation with people in the industry. As such it
constitutes the definitive material, not this report.

Sometimes the information in this report is not conclusive and may at times present
apparently conflicting pieces of information. Nevertheless decisions had to be made in
the course of producing the guide which are sometimes based on caution or lack of
substantiated background material. This report should be read in conjunction with the
guide itself and may present the reader with some useful background information, but
will not always be sufficient to fully explain the decisions in the guide.

Background Information to the Installers Guide for Small Scale Mains Connected PV

The document also provides some further information relevant to 3 or 4 recent threads on the forum - SELV voltages and human bodies, fire risk of PV and earthing of PV panels.

Finally - the document was written nearly 8 years ago, so is obviously not going to be up to date in all respects.

[Damo]

Could anyone office advice on the physical security of panels. I’ve seen pictures of installations where the panels are on a single storey outhouse, or on bungalows. With such low installations, has there been many/any reports of PV panels been stolen? Are there security options with the framing system?

And do PV (or Solar Thermal for that matter) panels need to be separately noted on your household insurance policy?

Thanks

[greentangerine]

My solar thermal and PV are covered by the home policy I have with the Halifax.

I did contact them to double check but it's there in the standard policy document.

[EccentricAnomaly]

With such low installations, has there been many/any reports of PV panels been stolen?

The panels on the Brighton Earthship were stolen around about the end of its construction.  At least some of them were recovered from the roof of a local's van.

One of the few things I'd see in favour of the MCS/FITS stuff is that there might be some hope it'll reduce the grey/black market for panels.

Detecting tampering with panels ought to be possible via the normal wiring.  Perhaps this is something which could be built into the inverters.  Taking it a bit further, if each panel had a chip in it communicating with something like 1-wire, either over the normal power wiring or separately, that could be valuable for both security and for various diagnostic functions (e.g., looking for shading or connection problems).