Installing solar panels

[Isetech]

Yip its solar panel installation time. We cannot keep up with the demand for backup systems.

With all the good news about Eskom, load shedding, changes within the structure, I havent stopped smiling in past 8 week, the work is just pouring in and I cant even manage a small percentage of the demand, so for now I am just looking after my good " customers. So you know what we will be doing in 2023, getting a piece of the cake. I see one company advertising that they sold almost 40 000 inverters this year, yes 40 thousand and that's just one company multiple that by R30k on average. If you missed the bus, best you climb on and enjoy the ride. Load shedding is here to stay and has been since 2008.

Anyone selling solar panels installation equipment and want to share why we should purchase your brand, what makes your product so special?

Its time to go into details about installing panels, which type is the better to use and why.

Earthing and bonding of the rails and panels and wire sizes required.

Panel voltages.

Wireways from the panels to the combiner box.

Types of wiring to be used for solar panels.

Are earth spikes required or can you use surge protection.

IT is time to tackle all these challenges.

Come and enjoy the journey.

Feel free to add in any advice or correct any information I share.

[Thys LOW Elektries]

Morning, at the moment I do the electrical side of solar installations, split db, solar mains, change over etc.
Things will be changing in January though. I will start working at a solar company installing pv systems for them and do the electrical side and issue the COC for work done on ac side
They use sunsynk inverters pylon and blue nova batteries most of the time.
Maybe it is time we start a group for the installers and make sure we are all on the same page when doing an installation.
I spent some time searching for installation information on various forums and was shocked to see the lack of knowledge and experience on the installer side.
I'm surprise we haven't had any major fires or equipment loss due to faulty installations.

Greetings

[GCE]

Morning, at the moment I do the electrical side of solar installations, split db, solar mains, change over etc.
Things will be changing in January though. I will start working at a solar company installing pv systems for them and do the electrical side and issue the COC for work done on ac side

The PV installation including the DC , Panels , inverters etc is all part of the Electrical installation and needs to be covered by your COC -
To issue the COC you need to be in general control and test the installation
See attached article

[Isetech]

We install axpert units with FLA batteries to cater for the people who cant afford lithium batteries and bi directional inverters.

I am looking at a 12 VDC setup to basically have a few lights and keep the wifi router operating and the alarm working, with the option of a fLA battery or lithium.

We also install Sunsynk inverters with Sunsynk batteries for the 10 year warranty (it is going to be interesting to see if the units last that long and if the distributor is still going to be around in 10 years) I believe the stats are less than 2 % of companies will still be operating in 10 years time. That why I am looking into starting a separate company to do solar installations, well 2 reasons, Vat due to the massive turnover increase and if they go bust I can just close and start another company, without it affecting the electrical business. Lets see how the load shedding goes into 2022.

It is going to be interesting to see what happens in 2023.

[Isetech]

People are slowly realising that it is important to install panels to reduce the operating cost of a backup system.

[Isetech]

Lets start talking about the installation of solar panels and what you should consider. This is all new to me, so feel free to add anything I might have missed or correct me. This is going to be a dummies guy to solar installations.

Before you tackle the installation you have to consider the following:

1/ The direction the roof is facing.

2/ The type of roof.

3/ The gap/space between the roof and the panel, for air movement and cooling.

4/ The space around and between the panels, for example if you mount the panels to close to the gutter the water will clear the gutter.

5/ If the roof can actually support the weight of all the panels.

6/ Maintenance on the roof prior to the panel installation, for example if there is no plastic under the tile, this might be a good time to install and you could check the battens at the same time and replace as needed.

[Isetech]

I have noticed many complaints about the roof leaking after panels have been installed, make sure you check for broken tile and rust before you start walking on the roof.

I know of a factory where the roof is leaking and it looks like the company is going to sue to repairs to the roof. ther eare a lot of panels on the roof.

[Isetech]

Once all that is sorted out, then it is time to start looking at which hardware you will be installing.

There are many options and brands to consider. Stainless steel, aluminum or galvanised.

I have noticed when using a hit and run installer, you gonna find things like standard aluminum tubing with roof screws holding the panels or galvanised P 2000. There will be a gap where the tile roof hook (still learner the technical phrases so dont squeal, just correct me) is fitted, because the installer doesn't have the funds in the budget to grind away the lip.

[Isetech]

Once you have decided on the hardware, I will go into more details as I learn, but for now we will just talk about the basics.

The panels, this is going to require a lot more detail because there is a lot to consider when choosing your panels, not just the brand or size.

You will need to understand the inverter parameters, like the VOC and the current rating for the MPPT. How the many strings and how the string will be made up, Series or parallel.

Then there there is the brand and type of panels, do you buy Canadian, JA, Art solar or one of the many other brands available.

[Isetech]

Just when you thought we had covered most of the stuff, then best you get the popcorn out before you start reading this thread because its just getting started .

I thought I would just walk into the shop and buy an MC 4 connectors and crimper, to my horror I found that the 3 packets of MC 4 connectors I purchased are not the same and the quality is certainly not on par. I managed to find a cheap MC 4 crimper, got back to the workshop and thought I would crimp the MC4 connectors supplied with the Sunsynk inverter, imagine that its also different, you need a hex or indent crimper for the connector.

The first thing I have to do is make sure I use the correct crimper, I have noticed a side cutter is a popular crimper . I suppose if the current is less than 20 amps, people aren't too concerned about lose connections even though it is DC. It is something we will be making a point of check when we are called out to check installations for customers.

[Isetech]

Next will be the cabling and wireway from the panels down to the DC combiner box or MPPt's on the inverter.

This is going to get interesting when doing site visits, Some people feel that the cost of "solar" wire is way too expensive, so using cabtyre or other cheaper multi strand wire will be just fine.

You might ask why you would want to spend the extra money on "solar" wire. You need to read the specs of the solar wire, it will help you to understand the UV protection and double insulation around the wire, how the strands are made up, the temperature and current rating. It will also help you get a better understanding to why it is a good option to spend the little extra.

You will notice that many installations dont have a a wireway or form of protection around the solar wire, that is because it is not required, unless exposed to mechanical damage.

We will need to discuss the size of solar wire used and why some installations are using 10 mm, 6 mm and some only 4mm, yet they have the same amount of panels and maybe even a smaller inverter.

[Isetech]

Then we need to discuss the earthing and bonding on the rails and where the earth wire from the panels should be connected. Should a dedicated spike be installed or do we just connect the earth wire directly to an earth bar shared by all the other earthing and bonding. (No this has nothing to do with relays and earth/neutral bonding, we will go into that as we learn and understand why one or the other is safer)

What size earth wire should be installed from the panels down to the earth bar or spike.

Do you need to bond the panels together and what size wire should you use to bond the rails or panels if required.

You maybe asking why I am wasting my time with threads like this, because I believe the only way to improve this industry that is falling through its own butt crack and winning the race to the bottom is by educating people.

Hopefully my small contribution will add a little value to the industry and hopefully make them want to improve their workmanship.

You might say that there are training courses, we all know how many employees send their staff for training. Those same employees lacking the training required are the same people being dropped off on site. Thanks goodness electricity is not dangerous.

[Isetech]

I am sure there are some questions, for example:

Do you need 2 surge arresters in a DC combiner box, if you have 2 strings terminated in the box, or 4 surge arresters if you have 4 strings? Why not just install 1 surge arrester per combiner box?

Do you need an earth spike and bonding and all that stuff if you use an SPD?

7.12.3.1 Neutral bar earthing
7.12.3.1.1 Protection in accordance with the requirements of 6.7 shall be
provided for the electrical installation in such a manner as to ensure correct
operation of the protection devices, irrespective of the source of supply or
combination of sources of supply. Operation of the protection devices shall
not rely upon the connection to the earthed point of the main supply when the
generator is operated as a switched alternative to the main supply.
Where there is no existing earth electrode installed in the electrical installation,
a suitable earth electrode may be installed in accordance with SANS 10199.
When installed, the electrode shall be bonded to the consumer's earth terminal
and to the earthing point on the alternate supply by a conductor of at least half
the cross-section of that of the phase conductor, but not less than 6 mm2
copper, or equivalent. This also applies to a single-phase supply
(see also 5.2.3.1).
NOTE 1 In a TN system earthing of electricity supply, an earth electrode is normally
not required in an electrical installation.
NOTE 2 Protection of photovoltaics can be by means of or surge protective device
(SPD).

[Isetech]

Anotehr reason you might consider using "solar" cable, if you read on the panel you will notice a max system voltage - 1500VDC. You need to make sure the cable used to connect the panel to the MPPT is suitable for the max voltage of the panel, not the inverter.

[Isetech]

Copied from the Canadian panels installation guide


5.2GRounDInG· For grounding requirements in North America,a module with exposed conductive parts isconsidered to comply with UL 1703 only whenit is electrically grounded in accordance withboth the instructions presented below and therequirements of the National Electrical Code. Anygrounding means used with Canadian Solar Inc.modules should be NRTL certified to UL 467 andUL 2703 standards. Please consult our technicalservice team for the formal approval process.· For grounding requirements in other areas,although the modules are certified to Safety ClassII, we recommend them to be grounded andthat module installation should comply with allapplicable local electrical codes and regulations.· Grounding connections should be installed by aqualified electrician.· Connect module frames together using adequategrounding cables: we recommend using 4-14 mm˛(AWG 6-12) copper wire. Holes provided for thispurpose are identified with a grounding symbol (IEC 61730-1). All conductive connectionjunctions must be firmly fixed.