<div dir="ltr">Dear William,<div><br></div><div>I like all of your ideas, but they have one thing in common, they are all passive. All the placards/labels/signs in the world won't prevent someone from not reading or acting or miss understanding them. So I totally agree with the NEC that we need automatic disconnects that prevent such events in the future. <div><div><br></div><div>I think this kind of sad event is the reason for the NEC to require array/string level disconnect. </div><div>From what I've heard and I'm sure others are well more versed than I, but we will see module level shutdown required in 2017 NEC, and I for one welcome that.</div><div><br></div><div>jay</div><div><br></div><div>peltz power</div><div>sent: 11.35am 9/6/15</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Sep 4, 2015 at 2:21 PM, William Miller <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:william@millersolar.com" target="_blank">william@millersolar.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Dear Friends:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Last week a local well technician was electrocuted. I had just met him in conjunction with a job we are about to do and realized right away he was a very nice person. He left behind a wife and two teenagers. Most tragic, his wife was working with him when it happened.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The scenario is still not fully understood but here is what we do know:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><span>1.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The fellow was digging with a mini-excavator.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><span>2.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">He knew buried lines were present and had turned off all circuits he thought were included.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><span>3.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">He struck a power feeder. We don’t know if it was direct bury or in a conduit or if it was AC or DC.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><span>4.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Based on his impression the conductors were all dead, he jumped into the ditch with uninsulated dikes to cut the wire.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><span>5.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">He had one hand on a t-post and the other on his pliers.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><span>6.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">His wife grabbed his clothing but could not get him to release his grip.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><span>7.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">An AT&T tech was nearby and donned hot gloves to pull him off the circuit. It was too late.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">This is an important issue for all of us. We work with high voltage regularly. We need to think about how to avoid this. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">I have connected with high voltage AC many times. My body always reacts to retract from contact. I got across high voltage DC once. I could not let go. I had to will myself to throw my arms down to break contact. The experience was frightening.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">On our crew we are integrating what we hope will be reflexive responses to given procedures. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">One is this: Every time you turn off a breaker to work on a circuit, the next thing you touch is a meter to check that the circuit is de-energized. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Two: Don’t trust your inductive tester. It will not detect DC. It will not always indicated voltage present.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">This accident was at a local winery. Many wineries in this region have ground-mounted PV systems, many remote from the main service, therefore they have underground feeders. Most are string configured systems meaning the feeders are high voltage.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">It occurs to me that the uninformed worker might assume that turning off all the circuit breakers at the meter will de-energize a circuit, should it be compromised. Turning of the AC breakers would not de-energize a DC PV feeder. This is a problem.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">I spoke with another well technician about this . He was not aware of the safety issues associated with PV feeders.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">What to do? Here are a few suggestions:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><span>1.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Mark all conduits with bury tape 12” above the conduit. This does require extra work, you have to make two runs backfilling.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><span>2.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sign the meter panel with an indication that opening all the circuit breakers will not de-energize all circuits on the property</span></p><p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><span>3.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Include your contact number so you can easily be contacted to reinforce the steps needed to be taken to excavate safely.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><span>4.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Always include disconnecting means at a ground-mount array.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">This issue is specific to excavation operations, but this reminds me of why I am so picky about wire shielding on ground mount arrays. This tragedy could easily happen to a child climbing on a ground-mount rack.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Please add your thoughts on how to best manage the safety issues presented.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">William</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><img width="64" height="28" src="cid:image003.jpg@01D0E71C.EF58F730" alt="Gradient Cap_mini"><br>Lic 773985<br><a href="http://www.millersolar.com/" target="_blank">millersolar.com</a><br><a href="tel:805-438-5600" value="+18054385600" target="_blank">805-438-5600</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p></div></div>
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<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div>Jay Peltz<br>Peltz Power<br><a href="mailto:jay.peltz@gmail.com" target="_blank">jay.peltz@gmail.com</a></div></div></div></div></div>
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