[RE-wrenches] NEC 2014 690.12 Rapid Shutdown

[Ray Walters]

Hi Brian;

Invoking 90.4 is a decent idea; the only problem is those smarty pants 
over at Midnite have been working on their Birdhouse disconnect system 
for several years already in anticipation of this requirement.  I'm not 
up on all of this (still waiting for my copy of the 2014 Handbook)  but 
I believe their birdhouse and combiner box system meets all the new 
requirements.

R.Ray Walters
CTO, Solarray, Inc
Nabcep Certified PV Installer,
Licensed Master Electrician
Solar Design Engineer
303 505-8760

On 1/21/2014 3:36 PM, Brian Mehalic wrote:
> It was suggested to me that since 690.12(5) requires the equipment to 
> be listed and identified, and there is no standard for rapid shutdown 
> equipment to be listed to then 90.3 (.4?...oh why isn't the NEC on my 
> iPad...)says 'revert to the previous version of the NEC' and presto, 
> no need to install rapid shutdown. I don't like this but the the 
> person suggesting it certainly has an audience and this will appeal to 
> installers looking to save on cost wherever possible.
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Jan 21, 2014, at 5:11 PM, David Brearley 
> <david.brearley at solarprofessional.com 
> <mailto:david.brearley at solarprofessional.com>> wrote:
>
>> Drake,
>>
>> The language in 690.12 is the compromise solution that was reached to 
>> ensure continued industry stability. The alternative to the 
>> combiner-level shutdown was module-level shutdown. It took a 
>> consolidated industry effort to push the module-level requirements 
>> out one more Code cycle---for the exact reasons that you touch on below.
>>
>> Not sure if this link has been published on the Wrenches list or not, 
>> but it provides some background on the topic:
>>
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUXShMZJorQ
>>
>> David Brearley
>> Senior Technical Editor,/SolarPro/magazine
>> NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional
>> david.brearley at solarprofessional.com 
>> <mailto:david.brearley at solarprofessional.com>
>> Direct: 541.261.6545
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Jan 21, 2014, at 1:12 PM, 
>> re-wrenches-request at lists.re-wrenches.org 
>> <mailto:re-wrenches-request at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:
>>
>>> *From:*Drake <drake.chamberlin at redwoodalliance.org 
>>> <mailto:drake.chamberlin at redwoodalliance.org>>
>>> *Subject:**Re: [RE-wrenches] NEC 2014 690.12 Rapid Shutdown*
>>> *Date:*January 21, 2014 11:36:15 AM CST
>>> *To:*RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org 
>>> <mailto:re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>>
>>> *Reply-To:*RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org 
>>> <mailto:re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Bill,
>>>
>>> It is good to see that energized conductors are going to be 
>>> disconnected near the arrays. I've been an advocate of disconnecting 
>>> these conductors by ground fault sensing equipment since ground 
>>> fault detection was first implemented in the code. If contactors are 
>>> to be installed on roofs, it likely won't be long before both ground 
>>> faults and arc faults are automatically cleared.
>>>
>>> When the requirement for AC arc fault branch circuit protection was 
>>> first put in the NEC, it was postdated to allow time for the 
>>> electrical industry to adapt. This new remote disconnecting 
>>> requirement does not provide any lead time.
>>>
>>> As the 2014 NEC is adopted in various jurisdictions, inspectors may 
>>> feel that it is necessary to disallow systems without the newly 
>>> required disconnect feature. This may result in serious problems for 
>>> solar companies and customers, as well as manufacturers.
>>>
>>> The protection of firefighters is essential. The implementation of 
>>> renewables is essential also. Insurance claims for weather related, 
>>> global warming-triggered climatic disasters are rising 
>>> exponentially. Extreme weather related events result in major loss 
>>> of life and billions of dollars in property damage. Atmospheric CO2 
>>> levels continue to climb from the burning of fossil fuels. This is a 
>>> crisis of global proportions.
>>>
>>> My request for code writers is to please take into account the 
>>> effect that inserting new rules into the NEC may have on the 
>>> stability of renewable energy, and implement new requirements in a 
>>> way that will allow for a smooth interface.
>>>
>>> Thank you,
>>>
>>> Drake
>>>
>>> Drake Chamberlin
>>> /Athens Electric LLC
>>> OH License 44810
>>> CO License 3773
>>> NABCEP Certified Solar PV
>>> 740-448-7328
>>> /http://athens-electric.com/
>>
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