rooftop wiring/grounding [RE-wrenches]

[Brad Bassett]

First, I would like to say that I had no intention of denigrating all 
California solar installers. Now that I've seen the responses, I assume 
that unprotected home run wiring is not the norm anywhere. That there 
are installers that do better work than others will always be true. 

My comment about Washington inspectors has mainly to do with the fact 
that outside of the cities, the inspection is done by a state agency, 
and they tend to be consistant sticklers. That's OK if you do it right 
(and can quote chapter), and have UL listed equipment (no UL = no 
acceptance).

I agree that the wiring between modules is still a concern. I've seen 
wires sitting on the roof in many installations, and in the back of my 
mind am thinking that an entirely different wiring method needs to be 
designed for wiring between modules. The gears are whirring in my mind, 
maybe someday I'll be able to do something about it. I understand why 
some agencies are tending toward conduit used everywhere, but this can 
be quite a bit of overhead if done with conduit said to be rated for 
that use. And as pointed out, conduit can be poorly installed also. This 
leads to another question, what are some good methods for supporting 
conduit on a roof? (I will ask this within our company and get some more 
answers too, I'm sure)  

On the grounding of modules, I'm surprised to hear that grounding of 
individual modules is actually done! I figured this was skipped by most, 
I guess not. I'm used to working with ASE-300's which make it easier, 
both because they have a threaded insert in the frame with grounding 
hardware, and because there are fewer modules for a given size system. 
(Yes, star washers are made to break the anodized or painted surface for 
electrical continuity)

Brad Bassett
Schott Applied Power 
Tumwater, WA office
bsbassett at earthlink.net

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