NABCEP, bad installations, CEC guidelines [RE-wrenches]

[Bill Brooks]

Graham,

I think we want the same things, but disagree on the means. I too believe
that we can keep the rebates higher, as long as we cut off the funding to
bad installations. How do we do that? I don't think CalSEIA has seriously
thought about that question. The focus is the dollar amount of the
rebate--not "is the money being spent wisely?"

I believe many CalSEIA members are so focused on the trees that they can't
see the forest.

Utility-grade meters are suggested as one means of metering for their low
cost. I understand the concern over the big bad utilities wanting to somehow
use that meter to screw the PV industry. However, the probability of the
lack of accountability on system performance killing the industry is far
worse than any potential evil utility scheme. We have our eyes open with the
utilities so I'm much less concerned about that. We need to be vigilant with
bad utility ideas, but we can't hide from information simply because we
think that energy data could possibly be used against us--how ludicrous is
that?

The guideline calls for 5% accurate meters. Most inverters have these as
options now (although they currently have no accountability on the
accuracy).

El Nino, utility meters, Mt. Pinatubo they are smokescreens (sorry for the
pun) for not providing needed information to the customer (and to protect
the contractor). How do you know whether a system is working properly or
not? Go out and test it. How can you prove to the customer it is working
properly. Only with an energy meter and a reasonable energy estimate.

The worst El Nino year was only 4% less than the average insolation in
California. Mt. Pinatubo, although it impacted concentrator systems like
Kramer Junction, had very little impact on flat-plate collectors. Our
industry needs accountability on energy production and CalSEIA needs to lead
the charge to make it happen. I hear lip service, but who in CalSEIA is
tasked with follow-up on that issue. I formulated an energy estimation
worksheet for the CEC guidelines and it mysteriously disappeared before
publishing (it is mentioned in the outline of the appendix). The sooner we
get there the better and the more legitimate our industry will be as well.

Lastly, you ask about what percentage of installations are bad. I answer
your question with a question--what percentage of bad installations is
acceptable? Since there is no effort being made to look for bad
installations, the answer is "none that we know of". That is exactly like
the Titanic going full steam ahead into a field of icebergs because it was
dark and they couldn't see them. They refused to believe because they
refused to look.

Knowing the difficulty of getting 10, 150-Watt modules into a single
orientation on most California roofs, I would say the probability of
misinstalled systems is in the 20-40% range. Is that okay with you? If your
a cup half full kind of person that means that 60-80% of systems are
okay--GREAT!. I'm generally a very positive person, but 20-40% bad systems,
even on the best day, depresses me. I know it is a real challenge to install
PV systems properly--throw a little ignorance about basic PV  concepts and
stir--you have a pretty nasty stew.

Let's seriously sit down and come up with methods to stop bad installations.
Let's leave all the rhetoric about the pros and cons of NABCEP and get to
the heart of the matter. I'd like to believe that these problems are not
happening with shocking regularity, but there is no way that can be true.
The realities of system design say that these things are happening all the
time.

Merry Christmas to you and your family, Graham. Think about this stuff
seriously and we'll talk in the new year.

Bill.


***SNIP****
Bill, I am wondering what percentage of installations in California are
substandard? Do you only look at problem installs?  I am willing to
volunteer a couple of days to go with you to see how bad these systems
really are.

Graham

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