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David,<br>
<br>
My sincere thanks to all of you who worked to keep the module level
disconnect requirement out of the 2014 code cycle. That ruling would have
amounted to a knockout punch for string and central inverters on
buildings. <br>
<br>
What was the driving force behind this push for immediate module level
disconnection? There has clearly <u>not</u> been a rash of firefighter
deaths due to PV systems. Although PV needs to continue evolving safety
standards that take into account the concerns of firefighters, there is
no crisis that would justify thwarting one of the few growing sectors of
our economy. <br>
<br>
The PV track record has been amazingly good. So far, I've found no
accounts of solar related firefighter deaths or injuries. The NFPA
statistics show that the highest cause of firefighter death is heart
attack.
<a href="http://www.nfpa.org/newsandpublications/nfpa-journal/2013/july-august-2013/features/firefighter-fatalities-in-the-united-states-2012">
http://www.nfpa.org/newsandpublications/nfpa-journal/2013/july-august-2013/features/firefighter-fatalities-in-the-united-states-2012</a>
<br>
<br>
This push for crippling regulation bears the earmark of ALEC’s extensive
and effective war on solar. As you can read in the following links, the
massively funded, Koch brothers-linked ALEC is lobbying heavily, on every
level, to derail solar. All who are associated with the solar industry
need to be aware of this powerful lobbying campaign. <br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/04/alec-freerider-homeowners-assault-clean-energy">
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/04/alec-freerider-homeowners-assault-clean-energy</a>
<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/12/05/alec_freeriders_with_solar_panels_must_pay_for_robbing_the_system/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.salon.com/2013/12/05/alec_freeriders_with_solar_panels_must_pay_for_robbing_the_system/</a>
<br>
<br>
<a href="http://beforeitsnews.com/environment/2014/01/alec-gain-an-inside-track-on-colorado-solar-2490132.html">
http://beforeitsnews.com/environment/2014/01/alec-gain-an-inside-track-on-colorado-solar-2490132.html</a>
<br>
<br>
Is there any way that the solar community can be alerted when threats to
our industry are being put before the NEC? Although few contractors have
the time or money to walk away from their businesses and attend code
writing committees, a substantial number might have the time to make
phone calls and send letters or emails to code writers. <br>
<br>
The solar industry needs a strong lobby of its own. <br>
<br>
Drake <br><br>
<br>
At 05:11 PM 1/21/2014, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">Drake,<br><br>
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. <br><br>
Not sure if this link has been published on the Wrenches list or not, but
it provides some background on the topic:<br><br>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUXShMZJorQ">
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUXShMZJorQ</a><br><br>
David Brearley<br>
Senior Technical Editor, <i>SolarPro</i> magazine<br>
NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional<br>
<a href="mailto:david.brearley@solarprofessional.com">
david.brearley@solarprofessional.com</a><br>
Direct: 541.261.6545<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
On Jan 21, 2014, at 1:12 PM,
<a href="mailto:re-wrenches-request@lists.re-wrenches.org">
re-wrenches-request@lists.re-wrenches.org</a> wrote:<br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite=""><b>From: </b>Drake
<<a href="mailto:drake.chamberlin@redwoodalliance.org">
drake.chamberlin@redwoodalliance.org</a>><br>
<b>Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] NEC 2014 690.12 Rapid Shutdown</b><br>
<b>Date: </b>January 21, 2014 11:36:15 AM CST<br>
<b>To: </b>RE-wrenches
<<a href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org">
re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org</a>><br>
<b>Reply-To: </b>RE-wrenches
<<a href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org">
re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org</a>><br><br>
<br><br>
Bill,<br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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.
<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
Thank you, <br>
<br>
Drake <br><br>
<a name="_MailAutoSig"></a>Drake Chamberlin<br>
<i>Athens Electric LLC<br>
OH License 44810<br>
CO License 3773<br>
NABCEP Certified Solar PV <br>
740-448-7328<br>
</i><a href="http://athens-electric.com/">http://athens-electric.com/</a>
</blockquote><br>
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