Stand alone Solar/Pv installations

**AndyD** · 04-Jun-12, 01:59 PM

So if the system was 12v DC run from solar panels via storage batteries (no inverter) to supply house lighting this would need a COC? It would be an interesting exercise to fill one out for a DC electrical system with no earthing system or CPC on circuits, no DB etc

**Dave A** · 04-Jun-12, 08:01 PM

Originally Posted by AndyD

It would be an interesting exercise to fill one out for a DC electrical system with no earthing system or CPC on circuits, no DB etc

Are you suggesting such an installation would be compliant, or even reasonably safe?

**AndyD** · 05-Jun-12, 12:08 PM

If it was 12v DC from start to finish it would be the same as a car electrical installation so in theory it would be.

**Dave A** · 05-Jun-12, 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by AndyD

If it was 12v DC from start to finish it would be the same as a car electrical installation so in theory it would be.

But cars don't count because they're excluded from the scope merely by virtue of being vehicles.

I wonder how carefully they've defined "vehicles" in the regs.

"Sir, you can rewire the entire solar powered installation, complete with mains isolator, db etc. or we can slap wheels on it and call it a vehicle"

**AndyD** · 05-Jun-12, 08:52 PM

That was the line of thought I was playing with

There would be zero difference between a vehicle electrical system and a stand alone solar installation in a dwelling with 12v battery storage and no inverter.....apart from the wheels and the Bar One wrappers under the seats I suppose, but identical electrically speaking.

I wouldn't like to do a CoC for this type of installation, it would be an almost futile exercise as there's almost no relevant electrical areas on the certificate you could fill out and very few (if any) compliance guidelines in the SANS10142 regs.

**Dave A** · 06-Jun-12, 02:16 AM

12v systems are still potentially hazardous, mind you. Maybe not a shocking hazard, but it certainly could be a fire hazard. As a youngster my aging mini tried quite hard to become a mini raging inferno with an electrical fire in the engine compartment. Nothing an inline fuse would have prevented from happening.

Rolling blackouts and the increased instances of backup generators caused a bit of a rethink on some aspects of standards and the COC - maybe something similar needs to happen with other alternative electrical supply sources.

**CollenD** · 06-Jun-12, 07:23 AM

Thank you for the contributions guys, I'm gonna contact the ECA and DoL as well to get more info. Another thing, do Solar/PV contractors and installers have to register with the ECA?

**kleva** · 06-Jun-12, 09:28 PM

My 2c add
A CoC is only a requirement for 50V or more, you can't comply with SANS10142 if the whole installation is 12V/24V.
It would be good practice for a Solar contractor to be registered as there are few instances where the whole installation will be 12V/24V, somewhere there will usually be an invertor which now crosses into the realm of SANS & CoC complience requirement.
Also, without a CoC, how are you going to sell/move later? (This was something that someone else mentioned to me about a month back)

Be aware though that the newest SANS10142-1 with the latest ammendments (I haven't seen it yet, but have been reliably informed) will have additional information specifically realted to Solar/PV and 12V installations related to integration into existing infrastructure (basically the connection of the invertor side supply to the consumer installation - similar to the way generator specifications have been made). Whether this includes the wiring code and other I am not sure.

**AndyD** · 06-Jun-12, 10:56 PM

Originally Posted by Dave A

Rolling blackouts and the increased instances of backup generators caused a bit of a rethink on some aspects of standards and the COC - maybe something similar needs to happen with other alternative electrical supply sources.

I think the difference here is that back-up generators are generally 220v off the bat whereas most domestically available renewable energy sources (wind, solarPV, micro-hydro etc) and the storage systems related to them are inherrently ELV up to the point where an inverter is installed. I don't think it would be viable to ammend the existing domestic installation regs or the associated CoC to accomodate these systems. I agree with your unfortunate illustration though, ELV DC systems have their own very definate hazards associated with them and regulation would be a must for user safety.