Design & Installation
Design & Installation
In large commercial and utility-scale PV systems, hundreds or thousands of PV modules are connected in series and parallel. The resulting dc voltages may approach 1,000 V and current levels may exceed 1 kA. In this article, we examine methods to...
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Design & Installation
Not all commercial rooftops are well suited to host a PV array. This is part of what makes elevated solar support structures—like PV carports, canopies and shade structures—an attractive option for system integrators and potential customers alike....
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Design & Installation
Once raceway types have been specified for a PV project, careful design and installation ensures a safe and Code-compliant raceway system that is efficient and long-lasting. Designers need to be highly aware of detailed field conditions—or need to...
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Design & Installation
We investigate the relationship between module binning, or grouping modules based on specified power or current tolerances, and its impact on energy yields.
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Design & Installation
PV systems, like other electrical power systems, use electrical conductors to route power from sources to loads. The 2011 NEC lists about 20 different types of raceways that are suitable for protecting these conductors based on the application. We...
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Design & Installation
Installing PV arrays on tile roofs is more time consuming, complicated and expensive than installing on asphalt shingle roofs. In this article, we examine the most common tile roof systems that installers are likely to encounter and address three...
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Design & Installation
If you asked PV system designers to consider using 400 2.5-kW string inverters on a 1 MW PV system, it would probably be difficult to engage in a serious discussion. But what about specifying four 250-kW inverters, 10 100-kW inverters or even 40 25-...
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Design & Installation
PV system grounding encompasses issues ranging from equipment grounding strategies, including bonding modules and grounding racking support structures, to system grounding considerations, including grounding electrode options. In this article, we...
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Design & Installation
This article is designed to help designers, installers and inspectors of PV systems understand the unique NEC requirements related to bipolar PV systems.
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Design & Installation
Booming demand for large-scale PV power plants in the US has required an evolution in solar project developers’ and contractors’ approaches to system design and engineering. Today, not just pure-play solar enterprises but, in growing numbers, power...
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Design & Installation
PV system designers and installers tend to treat the impact distributed power generation has on the electric power grid as an afterthought. This article discusses the basic architecture of the electric power system in the continental US and explains...
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Design & Installation
1,000 Vdc PV systems have traditionally been relegated to large free-field solar power plant applications in North America. Today, however we have everything needed to design and deploy a 1,000 Vdc PV system in applications covered by the NEC.
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Design & Installation
The US solar market is far from monolithic, and this diversity calls for diverse business models. Given this situation, it is no surprise that solar companies take different approaches to engineering services. For this article, we reached out to...
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Design & Installation
As PV systems get larger, AHJs are more likely to require power engineering reports that are unfamiliar to some solar professionals but well known to traditional power engineers. We take an in-depth look at the types of electrical design...
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Design & Installation
From a design perspective, the goal of ac circuit aggregation is to field an efficient system that is cost effective; meets building, fire and electrical codes; and satisfies the client.
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Design & Installation
Constraints are part of every system design. In practice, the constraints drive the optimal design, and if the constraints change, so does the design. Here we provide context for how to think about constraints holistically. We then explain the most...
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Design & Installation
In this article, I investigate a project management style called critical chain project management, or critical chain, which can help your team hit project deliverables on time and on budget.
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Design & Installation
When done correctly, PV system-commissioning activities ensure customer satisfaction, project safety and longevity, while adding very little in terms of time and cost. Commissioning agents can prove that a system is working as promised, set...
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Design & Installation
A PV project’s transition from the construction phase to the operations phase is a flurry of activity. Project stakeholders must coordinate schedules, materials, trades, troubleshooting and testing while adhering to design documents, contractual...
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Design & Installation
All the focus and pressure to realize high yields and low costs on an individual project often blinds companies to the benefits of a fast execution and in some cases can really slow things down. While some of the suggestions presented in this...
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Design & Installation
In this article, I provide a detailed case study and consider the potential benefits of calculating maximum voltage or current values based on simulation program results.
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Design & Installation
Here I provide residential solar contractors with some guidelines and best practices for designing solar-plus-storage systems that meet or exceed customers’ expectations.
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Design & Installation
After a two-year absence, Solar Power International 2018 returns to Southern California for 4-day residency at the Anaheim Convention Center, September 24–27. Produced by Solar Energy Trade Shows, SPI is a collaboration between the Smart Electric...
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