[RE-wrenches] Small, non-UL listed direct PV grid-tie inverters and UL 1741

[Jesse Dahl]

Who are these distributers in MN?  I would like contact them. 


Jesse

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 26, 2011, at 11:07 AM, Dan Fink <danbob at hughes.net> wrote:

> Hello esteemed Wrenches;
> 
> I have been absolutely swamped with inquiries about small, non-UL listed (or "UL listing pending") direct PV grid-tie inverters in the last few weeks. It appears they are arriving in a flood from China and being sold on Ebay, and by other online retailers. They are also being incorporated into home solar products, such as window coverings that have PV cells on the outside, portable PV systems for renters to reduce their bills, etc.
> 
> The common theme here is that these devices "plug into any wall outlet and reduce your utility bill."
> 
> My questions for the group are;
> 
> ~ Can any energy-generating device, even if it *was* UL 1741 listed, comply with the NEC if it plugs into a wall outlet instead of being hard-wired to the breaker panel? For example, a homeowner wiring a 120VAC plug onto an Enphase and running the cord in through the window.
> 
> ~ An argument raised by one distributer of these inverters was, "Well, here in (minnesota) the customer owns all the wiring in their house up to the utility feed. So they can plug in anything they want into the house outlets, whether UL listed or not, as long as they don't have a net metering agreement with the utility...because this inverter does not sell electricity to the utility, it only compensates for house usage."
> Doesn't 1741 still apply here?
> 
> ~ What about latching meters? I understand that some types of utility meter will count all generation from the house circuits as electricity used.
> 
> ~ Does this stuff scare you folks as badly as it scares me? Sounds like the double-male 120VAC plugs from Y2K.
> 
> I sure would appreciate some clarification on UL 1741 from the group, though....specifically regarding plugging generation equipment of any sort into a wall outlet.
> 
> -- 
> Dan Fink
> Executive Director;
> Buckville Energy Consulting
> Buckville Publications LLC
> NABCEP / IREC / ISPQ accredited Continuing Education Providers
> http://www.buckville.com/
> info at buckville.com
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