Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/265654
S o l a r P o w e r D a i l y N e w s T h u r s d a y, O c t o b e r 2 4 , 2 0 1 3 4 UL LLC: DEVELOPING A NEW STANDARD IN FIRE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM RATING By Christopher Flueckiger, PE – Renewable Energy, UL LLC and Larry Sherwood, Project Administrator, Solar ABCs The number of rooftop solar installa- tions continues to grow rapidly in the United States. As homeowners, small businesses, and commercial entities transform their existing and new roofs into power generating photovoltaic sys- tems, concern has arisen among fire, building, and electrical code officials that adding PV modules mounted above a roof may impact the fire classification rating of the underlying roof materials. As a result, and with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and the Solar America Board for Codes and Standards (Solar ABCs) conducted a series of tests to analyze the impact of these systems on the fire classification rating of roofs. The test results indicated that the fire classification rating of a PV module by itself may not accurately pre- dict the fire classification rating of the combination of a PV module, a mounting structure, and roof covering material. Given the results, it is clear that test- ing the complete assembly is necessary to establish a more meaningful fire classifi- cation rating. Stakeholders from the PV and roofing industries along with fire officials and building inspectors com- bined efforts to develop a new fire classi- fication test program for PV modules, mounting structures and roof assemblies as a single system. Over the past two years, the test method has been refined to ensure that the test program is practical, repeatable, and that the resulting system fire classification meets the needs of the industry, code officials, and inspectors. Understanding the variability of mount- ing structures, modules, and roof materi- als, the team also developed a method to group common PV module constructions into a number of different types in order to minimize the overall number of tests required to produce the new fire classifi- cation rating for a system. Both the new fire classification tests and the PV-module type parameters were incorporated into a proposal to the UL/ANSI 1703 Standards Technical Panel (STP) for adoption as a part of UL 1703, the Standard for Safety of Flat-Plate Photovoltaic Modules and Panels. In July of this year by a unanimous vote, the STP adopted the new fire classification test and PV module type requirements. For more information, visit www.ul.com, call 877-UL-HELPS, email BAJA'S SOLAR SUPPORT SYSTEM: DESIGNED FROM A CARPORT, ENGINEERED FOR THE SUN Baja Construction, a leader in highly spe- cialized and engineered solar support structures, has installed its Solar Support System™ at facilities generating an aggregate of 35 MWs of power. Baja will custom design, engineer, supply and install Solar Support Systems to support PV and secondarily, shade vehicles of all heights. PV is mounted directly to Baja's Solar Support System with a patent-pending connection that delivers minimal impact to the site, max- imum efficiencies for installation and the potential for additional revenue. For more information, email bob@bajacarports.com, visit www.bajacarports.com or stop by booth 3843. ULHelps@ul.com or stop by booth 1821 at Solar Power International. VERIS ANNOUNCES DC STRING MONITOR FOR SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS Veris Industries, an industry leader in energy monitoring solutions, announces the release of the EA10 DC String Monitor. The EA10 is designed for installation into solar energy systems to monitor individual strings for unexpected reductions in current flow, allowing con- venient system optimization and timely maintenance or repair. "The EA10 DC String Monitor is an important addition to Veris' line of renewable energy devices," said Marc Bowman, Vice President of Energy and Industrial Products at Veris Industries. "As a leading innovator in monitoring solutions, Veris supports the develop- ment of alternative energy technology to promote efficiency in commercial and industrial spaces." The modular design allows easy installation in a variety of combiner box designs. The EA10 includes one commu- nications unit with up to four current sensing modules. Each module contains eight DC sensors, so the system can mon- itor 8, 16, 24 or 32 strings at a time. Current sensing modules can be added or removed as needed to suit differ- ent applications. Patented pulse reset technology protects the circuitry from power surges and prevents drift over time. Robust encapsulation protects against moisture and other environmental concerns. Multiple LEDs provide easy indication of status for both the commu- nications unit and each current sensing module. Modbus communication simpli- fies commissioning and offers compati- bility with many existing systems. The EA10 is designed to meet the SunSpec Alliance specifications for renewable energy component manufac- turers, ensuring compatibility between components and manage- ment systems. Veris has a full line of renewable energy devices for monitoring energy lev- els at the sub-combiner, inverter, and electrical panel locations. About Veris Industries Veris Industries, located in Portland, Ore., is a market-focused, customer-service ori- ented leading supplier of energy and envi- ronmental sensors and control system peripherals for commercial HVAC, ener- gy management, renewable energy, and industrial control applications. For additional information, visit www.veris.com, call 800-354-8556 or email sales@veris.com. SEAWARD'S ADVANCED IRRADIANCE METERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT A new range of multifunction irradiance meters enables installers to carry out comprehensive solar PV site surveys and installation testing quickly and easily. The new Solar Survey meters from Seaward Solar combine high perform- ance irradiance measurement with a host of other features. Both the Solar Survey 100 and 200R instruments incorporate a precision PV cell sensor for the highly accurate irradi- ance measurement, displaying results in either Wm-2 or BTU/hr-ft2 and making them ideal for solar PV and solar thermal site surveys, as well as installation and performance testing. Uniquely, the new multi function units also incorporate a digital compass, a digital tilt meter and a dual channel pre- cision thermometer. These special features enable the user to quickly identify the location where maximum levels of solar power can be collected and accurately measure irradiance, roof pitch, orientation and both ambient air and PV module temper- ature. Both the 100 and 200R incorporate a dis- play hold feature to allow readings to be captured in difficult locations. The Solar Survey 200R has the added benefit of a large internal memory and USB interface for the downloading of results to a PC. These additional features in the 200R form part of a special wireless Solarlink capability providing wireless connectivity with the Seaward Solar PV150 electrical installation tester. This enables real-time irradiance to be dis- played and measured at the same time as electrical testing is being undertaken. This means that irradi- ance, module and ambient temperature can be recorded in real time within the PV150 as the electrical tests are conduct- ed. The battery-powered, rugged Solar Survey irradiance meters are an indispensable tool for all those involved in solar installation work by enabling the operator to rapidly iden- tify the optimum location for harnessing the sun's energy. For more information, visit www .seawardsolar.com/usa. Lee M. Oser CEO and Editor-in-Chief Lyle Sapp Senior Associate Publisher Director of Sales Kim Forrester Jeff Rosano Associate Publishers Lorrie Baumann Editorial Director Hayden Neeley Senior Associate Editor Jeanie Catron Associate Editor Yasmine Brown Keaton Kohl Graphic Designers Ruth Haltiwanger Margarite Marquez Customer Service Managers Ryan Harter Chuck Kenney David Lopez Account Managers Enrico Cecchi European Sales Solar Power Daily News is published by Oser Communications Group ©2013. All rights reserved. Executive and editorial offices at: 1877 N. Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715 520.721.1300/Fax: 520.721.6300 www.oser.com European offices located at Lungarno Benvenuto Cellini, 11, 50125 Florence, Italy. AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION NOT AFFILIATED WITH SPI