Even the most experienced professionals make mistakes, and PV systems present many opportunities for errors. In this paper we list some of the more common issues we’ve seen or heard about often enough to be worth mentioning.
HiQ Solar
How much granularity is enough?
In the age of data, solar contractors, maintenance crews and system owners can see more system performance details than ever. But collecting and analyzing too much data can be a waste of resources. So what is the ideal granularity for a PV installation? In this whitepaper, HiQ Solar examines a number of monitoring, O&M and safety aspects — Find the right balance…
How to save up to 7 cents/Watt in your next commercial solar project
Explore three case studies which compare costs between inverters in commercial rooftop systems of varying sizes and three-phase voltages. Learn how the installer saved with HIQ inverters based on real bids that were submitted last year in California.
Saving Install Cost by Using Connectors as Means of Disconnect
Additional AC and DC disconnects add cost and complexity to PV systems and introduce several points of potential failure, thus reducing reliability. In the US disconnecting means are mandated by the governing electrical code. Several cents/Watt can often be saved in installation cost if separate disconnect boxes can be avoided in favor of integrated disconnects used by inverter manufacturers such as HiQ and Enphase. But is this code compliant? This paper addresses the regulatory requirements governing disconnecting means required for the replacement and servicing of PV inverter equipment. Specifically, the use of connecters as the required means of disconnect is detailed. It then shows that HiQ Solar TrueString™ inverters have been tested as part of their certification to allow this.
Taking the Nuisance Tripping out of AFCI – Useful Changes to Testing of PV Inverters
The ability of a PV inverter to detect and interrupt series arcs is a useful safety feature. In the US the National Electrical Code requires PV systems to be capable of detecting high voltage DC arcs. However, this has been a controversial topic. We’ll take a brief look at the issues with arc detection, and the progress being made in changing test methods to improve the situation.
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