Signing off solar installations.

[Isetech]

You need a bit of work, the bank account is looking broken, maxed out.

Thanks to solar installations, there is a huge market to make a quick million (people in SA are not short of funds as you might think) .

Every man, his dog and the herd of sheep a have all realised there is a quick million to be made offering some part of a solar system, right from the the person sitting in a rented room in a building which offers hourly space with an internet connection, a light, desk and chair, all the way to the person signing off the installations.

The person selling the unit offers 10 year warranties on the product, 25 years life span of the product, etc. will be gone faster than you can say "a quick million".

The installer who gets a couple coins flicked to them, who might have completed a 5 days crash course advertising 10 years plus experience will smash out the job in a day or two, who might never been seen again.

Lastly the smart lad who has a admin person filling out COC's and signing them faster than the lad sending out the orders to the supplier to deliver the goods.


Then you get that person who wants to do stuff right, who's maybe a little short of cash and because they are way to honest and do things by the book, signing off the odd COC for installation.

Things start going wrong, so the customer tries to contact the smart person who has made a quick million or two, but that person has already switched off the light and left the building, now renting space in another part of town or enjoying their holiday in paradise.

The installer has a new phone and busy installing something else which offered a 2 day crash course.

At least the customer has someone to contact the person who signed the COC, because this is a legal document with all the registered persons contact details and address, guess who will become responsible for everything.

Dont be that fool.

[Derlyn]

Exactly.

[Isetech]

I hear the jokers going on about small margins, that is only because the smart fellas got in quick jacked the price so they could make a few billion. The only small margins are the little guys trying to get in on the action. The overheads of all the big companies are still same, the share holders still want their cut of the profits at the same rate.

If you not making a 25 % markup on the goods, you the only fool hanging on the side of the gravy train trying to get a piece of the action.

At the least the customer is getting a better deal, thanks to all the delusional people who think only putting a small margin, its better than nothing.

Just be careful where you are on this train, its moving fast as I expected, is going to keep moving at a steady pace for a while still, ride it while people are still throwing cash and borrowed money at it.

But just beware things are going to get messy, be ready for that day. Make sure you can step off the train without being hit by the train going full steam ahead in the other direction.

[Derlyn]

Or better still, don't take the train.

[Dylboy]

Issues to come sooner that later is dialed Inverters and then batteries... 5 years and then boom goes inverter.

When this day comes I will hopefully have my info pack as a "I told you what to do and not do and you did what to not do"

Its tricky, I am trying to now actually get just only genuine electrical work and not solar or PV as soon this trend will fade and those who said no will not have that person.



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[Isetech]

We can only do what we think is right, based on our training and experience, however I am finding that people cant think for themselves anymore, we google and assume the internet knows it all. then you end up with groups who believe one thing and another group which believes something else. There are so many conflicting issues with regards to solar installation, the neutral/earth bond being one of them, safe lithium battery installations, grounding of solar panels, etc etc etc.

What should happen is the smart people who write the regs should be on top of their game and by now all this type of information should be cleared up, even if a basic guidelines where released.

We dont have the capacity or experience to create the guidelines then we should use other countries who have already been through this process ( that why I use the Australia guidelines for solar installations).

I believe that our SANS regs require an update, I believe there are people capable of making it happen, its just going to take a while which we dont have.

The installations are being done by the tens, maybe even hundreds of thousands by now. I see more solar company vehicles than electrical.

[Thys LOW Elektries]

Strictly speaking my thought. Any fool can go on a solar course, do a quick exam and then be a qualified installer
Because you carry a fancy card that say you are a qualified solar installer, you are approved and recommended by municipalities, insurance companies and every joe smoe.
How many people knows that electrical contractors also carry a fancy card and that they are registered at DOL?
But they pick a handy man, builder, plumber or any person that knows how to use a screwdriver and trust them in their ability to do top quality work!
When they need a COC you are the idiot cause they paid big bucks to have the work done, now you come and find fault with the "highly skilled worker" that did the work.
Is their justice out there? I doubt since they have left the country shortly after common sense did

[Isetech]

It goes both ways, an electrician who doesnt know how to install solar is also part of the problem.

I was chatting to someone about electricians today, they lack the critical portion on their training, the time spent with a sliklled artisan who has been mentored by his artisan.

Once I completed my appreticiship (railways, the best training centres in SA), I then jumped from company to company to get the best exposure to the electrical industry, and to get the experience required to apply to become a master electrician.

I spent 5 years researching sloar installations and watched 100 hours of video training before I did my first solar installation and I still believe I could do with more brand specific training. I may ask the dumbest of questions, but I am getting to that point where people certainly cant bullshyte my customers anymore and at that point where I have a pretty good idea what I am doing.

The only challenge at the moment is stil technical support with the brand I install. I havent been able to find a person who can answer my questions without sending me around the world for an answer. It seems the solution to every problem is a firmware upgrade

[Isetech]

Some things which got my attetnion on a site, due to the stock shortage, a boer mark a plan.

You get to site to check an installation fro a customer (not doing a test report, just offering advice) and you find a few interesting things.

DC components- the panels are rated at 1500 VDC and the protective devices are rated for DC however only 500 VDC.

I went to product website (Onesto) and noticed they do offer a range of 1500 VDC products.

The question can you use a 500/600 VDC protective devices for solar installations?

OR a 1000VDC rated fuse holder in the Dc combiner box?

It seems due to the stock shortage some smart companies, got in and ordered a bunch of changeover switches and DC components.

The fuse protection for the batteries is another expample for what seems to be a one size fits all.

If you have 2 x 5.1 kwh (100 amphr) batteries, C0.5 rated, do you need a 200 amp fuse holder, or can you install a 160 amp fuse holder with 125 amp fuses? You never going to charge the batteries at more than 100 amps, so why waste all that cash on 250 amp fuse holders and 200 amp fuses.

By the way a 200 amp fuse holder is rated fro 200 amps, you dont need a 250 amp fuse holder, just like you dont need a 160 amp fuse for a 100 amp fuse.

It is going to take a while for the Solar industry to settle and for people to get educated, in the mean time it a dog eat dog fiasco, he who imports the most product when ther eis a shortage wins hands down.

I am wondering why there is still stock shortages, this industry took off in June last year. Is it the manufacturers that cant keep up with the demand or are the suppliers throttling the imports.

[Isetech]

This is an example of the ratings of the surge arrestors for Onesto.

Can you install a 40 ka 500 VDC surge arrester in a Dc combiner box connected to solar panels rated at 1500 VDC, but the string created is only lets say 225 VDC or 425 VDC.

The question - do you rate the equipment to the designed string voltage or the panel rating?

https://www.onesto.cn/product/DC-Sur...-1583720505794

[GCE]

Can you install a 40 ka 500 VDC surge arrester in a Dc combiner box connected to solar panels rated at 1500 VDC, but the string created is only lets say 225 VDC or 425 VDC.

The question - do you rate the equipment to the designed string voltage or the panel rating?

https://www.onesto.cn/product/DC-Sur...-1583720505794

You would design according to string voltage

If your string voltage is going to be 1600vdc then you would not use those panels as they would be under rated