Listen Up: Let's Talk About Safe Solar Equipment

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It's encouraging to see how much safer — and less expensive — solar equipment has become over the past dozen years. These improvements will continue as engineers and manufacturers collaborate with code officials. There is a vibrant interplay between new code requirements (such as arc fault detection or roof fire resistance) and new product engineers. Sitting at the intersection are organizations like the Solar America Board for Codes and Standards (Solar ABCs) and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC).

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Cariboocoot

Re: Listen Up: Let's Talk About Safe Solar Equipment

Safer? It's electricity. The thing that makes electricity unsafe is idiots who don't know what they are doing. Sometimes it's whoever is hooking it up, and sometimes it's whoever is making the rules.
Not all the wonderful new regulations make it safer. Some make it less so, and some are just plain idiocy.

There's no substitute for common sense.

bill von novak

Re: Listen Up: Let's Talk About Safe Solar Equipment

Cariboocoot wrote: »

Safer? It's electricity.

Agreed. But some people who might be perfectly competent working with protected lower voltage AC sources might not understand best practices for dealing with high voltage current limited DC sources. To me, codes are useful because, absent a comprehensive understanding of electricity, they can guide a tradesman in installing/commissioning a safe system.