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</head><body style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255,
255);" text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">Yes Sonoma county requires
30' minimum from ground arrays for fire setbacks. and by extension 30'
from property lines (as an array owner can't control a neighbors brush
removal) More is surely advised! I imagine other CA counties have
similar requirements.<br>
<br>
<span>Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar wrote on 3/20/20 5:32 PM:</span><br>
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<p>In our area of California, when the green grass dies and turns
brown, the area under any type of array needs to be free of grass. An
array could ignite a wildfire if the array were emit sparks. This is a
very rare condition but it can happen to even the best design and module
type.</p>
<p>There would not be any brush anywhere near an array. 10 feet from
any point of the array makes sense but if there were a wildfire I would
want alot more. 100 feet is typical for the zone around a home. That is
what our AHJ wants to see in an inspection. We are in a very dangerous
area for wildfires in the southern Sierra.</p>
<p>Brush does not count as grass. An array should survive a grass
fire. Brush would be much more dangerous and must be kept clear as it is
a much larger heat source than grass. I hope this is helpful.</p>
<div>
<pre><strong><span style="font-size: small;">Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar
"we go where powerlines don't"
<a href="http://members.sti.net/offgridsolar/" target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">http://members.sti.net/offgridsolar/</a>
e-mail <a href="mailto:offgridsolar@sti.net" moz-do-not-send="true">offgridsolar@sti.net</a>
text 209 813 0060</span></strong></pre>
</div>
<p>On Fri, 20 Mar 2020 17:06:01 -0600, Dan Fink
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:danbob88@gmail.com"><danbob88@gmail.com></a>
wrote:</p>
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<div>Hello esteemed Wrenches; I am trying to clear this up for a client
and his AHJ, which is also puzzled at how to interpret IFC 2018, Section
1204.4, which states:</div>
<div> </div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;
border-left: 1px solid #cccccc; padding-left: 1ex;">Setback requirements
shall not apply to ground-mounted, free-standing photovoltaic arrays. A
clear, brush-free area of 10 feet (3048 mm) shall be required for
ground-mounted photovoltaic arrays.</blockquote>
<div> </div>
<div>I found one lone informational note in a white paper stating this
was to prevent a burning PV array from igniting surrounding vegetation
and the fire spreading.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>So, has anyone dealt with an AHJ on this before? Our questions are:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>What exactly is a "free-standing photovoltaic array" that is exempt?
A pole mount? Couldn't burning debris from that ignite vegetation
underneath?</li>
<li>What exactly does "A clear, brush-free area of 10 feet (3048 mm)"
mean? "10 feet" is a linear measurement, not an area, that would be in
square feet.</li>
<li>What is "brush"? Does grass count as brush?</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>I would interpret this on the safe side as meaning that all
vegetation under the PV array and out to a 10 foot perimeter should be
cleared, except for pole-mount arrays (that exception makes no sense to
me).</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I always recommend to clients that the area <em>under</em> the
ground mount array should be pea gravel bordered by railroad ties, but
out to 10 feet from the array edge seems excessive.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Any input greatly appreciated!</div>
<div> </div>
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