SMUD No AC disconnect requirement [RE-wrenches]

[Joel Davidson]

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SMUD Waives Switch Requirement for Solar Systems
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District no longer requires an AC 
disconnect switch on inverter-based solar systems when the home or business 
has a self-contained electric meter. Most customers of the electric utility 
have this kind of meter. SMUD took this action to help reduce the costs of 
solar systems and increase the number of systems installed in the electric 
utility's service area that includes Sacramento County and a small portion 
of Placer County.

The AC disconnect switch, which can cost as much as $300, is considered a 
cost barrier to some customers who are considering installing solar panels. 
The switch is used to isolate the customer's solar or inverter-based 
generation from the utility's distribution system. The same action can be 
accomplished by temporarily removing the customer's meter and isolating the 
customer's home from the system.

The new policy also applies to other inverter-based systems like fuel cell 
and rotating machine technologies. In addition, SMUD will no longer request 
a separate production meter-base be installed, on the installations 
described above as virtually all inverters listed on the California Energy 
Commission's list of eligible inverters include approved onboard metering. 
Despite this new policy some installations may have configurations that 
require an AC disconnect to comply with the National Electric Code, and/or 
local building code.

SMUD's AC disconnect requirement for distributed generation will continue to 
apply to:

  a.. Inverter-based interconnections having a transformer-rated meter (i.e. 
all meter panels or switchboards employing the use of potential and current 
transformers).
  b.. Inverter-based generators that are not listed on the California Energy 
Commission's list of eligible inverters, or certified UL1741 compliant.
  c.. Non-inverter based generators, including rotating or machine-based 
generators, regardless of whether the service meter configuration is 
transformer-rated or self-contained.
  d.. Special situations where generators may be impacting SMUD service to 
its customers.
Source: SMUD News Release, 2/21/07


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