Photovoltaic Design and Installation For Dummies®

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Table of Contents

1. Cover
2. Introduction
   1. About This Book
   2. Conventions Used in This Book
   3. What You’re Not to Read
   4. Foolish Assumptions
   5. How This Book Is Organized
   6. Icons Used in This Book
   7. Where to Go from Here
3. Part 1: Here Comes the Sun: Shedding Some Light on PV Systems
   1. Chapter 1: The Photovoltaic Revolution
      1. Peeking into the Past, Present, and Future of PV Installations
      2. Introducing PV Components and Systems
      3. Knowing Your Electricity A-B-Cs
      4. Solar Resource 101
      5. Surveying a PV System Site
      6. Delving into PV System Details
      7. Sizing a PV System
      8. Bringing a PV System to Life
      9. Introducing the Sections of Code You Need to Know
   2. Chapter 2: Checking Out Common Components and Systems
      1. Introducing the Components That Make Up PV Systems
      2. Differentiating between PV System Types
      3. Figuring Out the Right System Type for Any Situation
   3. Chapter 3: Powering through Electricity Basics
      1. Going with the Flow: Current
      2. May the (Electromotive) Force Be with You: Voltage
      3. Making a Stop: Resistance
      4. Connecting Current, Voltage, and Resistance with Ohm’s Law
      5. Pondering Power and Energy
      6. Wrapping Together Current, Voltage, Resistance, Power, and Energy
      7. Another Electricity Concept: Circuit Configurations
   4. Chapter 4: Warming Up to the Solar Resource
      1. High (Or Low) Energy: Solar Radiation
      2. Examining the Effects of the Sun’s Path on the Earth
      3. Positioning PV Modules to Make the Most of the Solar Resource
   5. Chapter 5: Properly Selecting a Site for a PV System
      1. Setting the Stage for a Site Survey
      2. Picture This: Documenting Your Entire Site Survey with Digital Photos
      3. Collecting Basic Information during a Site Survey
      4. Measuring Information in Degrees
      5. Exploring Shading-Analysis Tools
      6. Interpreting the Data and Bringing It All Together
4. Part 2: Digging into Complete System Details
   1. Chapter 6: PV Modules: From Sand to Electricity
      1. Creating Solar Electricity: It All Starts with a Cell
      2. Reviewing Common Types of PV Modules
      3. Pointing Out Electrical Specifications on PV Modules
      4. Surveying Test Conditions for PV Modules
      5. Relating Current and Voltage in IV Curves
   2. Chapter 7: The Basics of Batteries
      1. The Fundamentals of Battery Anatomy and Operation
      2. Comparing Different Types of Batteries
      3. Comprehending Battery Capacity
      4. Specifying Batteries
   3. Chapter 8: Keeping Current and Voltage in Check: Charge Controllers
      1. The Essentials of Charge Controllers
      2. Maximum Power Point Tracking Technology
      3. Pulse-Width Modulation Technology
      4. Specifying a Charge Controller
   4. Chapter 9: Inverters: AC (From) DC
      1. Getting the Goods on Grid-Direct Inverters
      2. Investigating Battery-Based Inverters
      3. Specifying Any Inverter
   5. Chapter 10: Staying Secure: Wiring and Safety Components
      1. Defining the Circuits in a PV System
      2. Checking Out Types of Conductors
      3. Considering Kinds of Conduit
      4. Delving into Disconnects
      5. Perusing Overcurrent Protection Devices
      6. Focusing on Ground Fault Protection
      7. Looking at the Basics of Labels
5. Part 3: Sizing a PV System
   1. Chapter 11: Sizing a Grid-Direct System
      1. First Things First: Evaluating the Budget and the Available Array Area
      2. Estimating the Site’s Annual Energy Production
      3. Sizing the Array to Meet Your Client’s Energy Consumption
      4. Getting Ready to Match an Inverter to an Array
      5. Matching Power Values for an Array and an Inverter
      6. Coming Up with the Right Voltage Values for Your Array and Inverter
      7. Bringing It All Together: Combining Your Power and Voltage Information
      8. One Last Check: The Inverter’s Maximum Current Input
   2. Chapter 12: Sizing a Battery-Based System
      1. Get Loaded: Looking at Loads in a Battery-Based System
      2. Sizing the Battery Bank
      3. Sizing the PV Array
      4. Sizing the Charge Controller
      5. Sizing the Inverter
      6. Incorporating a Generator
   3. Chapter 13: Sizing Conductors, Conduit, and Safety Components
      1. Conductor Sizing 101
      2. Sizing Conduit
      3. Sizing Overcurrent Protection Devices and Disconnects
6. Part 4: Installing a PV System
   1. Chapter 14: The Permitting Process
      1. Obtaining Permits before You Install a PV System
      2. Not Just Pretty Pictures: Creating Drawing Sets
   2. Chapter 15: Staying Safe Anytime You Work on a PV System
      1. Getting a Grip on General Construction Site Safety
      2. Looking at Ladder Safety
      3. Raising the Issue of Rooftop Safety
      4. Examining Electrical Safety
      5. Charging Ahead with Battery Safety
   3. Chapter 16: Assembling the Mechanical Parts
      1. Surveying PV Array Mounting Methods
      2. Considering Loading When You Mount an Array on a Roof
      3. Properly Attaching an Array to a Roof
      4. Supporting Ground and Top-of-Pole Mounting
   4. Chapter 17: Integrating the Electrical Elements
      1. Location Is Everything: Knowing Where to Place Electrical Equipment
      2. Working on Wiring
      3. Bonding Yourself to Grounding
      4. Connecting to the Utility
   5. Chapter 18: Commissioning, Inspecting, and Maintaining a PV System
      1. Making a List and Checking It Twice: Preparing for Commissioning
      2. Start ’Er Up: The Commissioning Process
      3. Arming Yourself for Inspection Issues
      4. Surveying System Maintenance
7. Part 5: The Part of Tens
   1. Chapter 19: Ten Ways to Avoid Common Code Mistakes
      1. Providing Proper Working Clearance
      2. Supplying the Right Structural Support
      3. Keeping Water out of Buildings with Flashing
      4. Ensuring All Conductors Have the Necessary Ratings
      5. Managing the Conductors on Modules
      6. Selecting the Correct Conduit
      7. Locating the Disconnects
      8. Grounding the Equipment
      9. Grounding the System
      10. Labeling the System Properly
   2. Chapter 20: Ten Ways to Maximize Energy Production for Your Clients
      1. Select the Right Site
      2. Orient the Array Correctly
      3. Configure the Array Properly
      4. Work within the Limits of the Utility Voltage
      5. Choose the Correct Inverter
      6. Size Conductors Appropriately
      7. Keep the Components Cool
      8. Advise Clients to Monitor Their System
      9. Clean the Array Periodically
      10. Inspect the Array Annually
8. Index
9. About the Author
10. Connect with Dummies
11. End User License Agreement

List of Tables

1. Chapter 15
   1. TABLE 15-1 The Working Heights for Various Ladder Lengths

List of Illustrations

1. Chapter 2
   1. FIGURE 2-1: A main distribution panel and a subpanel in a residence.
   2. FIGURE 2-2: A typical grid-direct PV system.
   3. FIGURE 2-3: A utility-interactive, battery-based PV system.
2. Chapter 3
   1. FIGURE 3-1: AC and DC current flow versus time.
   2. FIGURE 3-2: Inline and clamp meters.
   3. FIGURE 3-3: Measuring a PV module’s voltage with a DMM.
   4. FIGURE 3-4: Measuring resistance with a DMM.
   5. FIGURE 3-5: A diagram of the power equation.
   6. FIGURE 3-6: Ohm’s Law and the power equation combined into one.
   7. FIGURE 3-7: Five PV modules wired in series.
   8. FIGURE 3-8: Five PV modules wired in parallel.
   9. FIGURE 3-9: PV modules wired in a series-parallel configuration.
3. Chapter 4
   1. FIGURE 4-1: Direct radiation and diffuse radiation are the components of solar r...
   2. FIGURE 4-2: Irradiance measured on a cloudless day.
   3. FIGURE 4-3: Irradiance measured on a partially cloudy day.
   4. FIGURE 4-4: An irradiance curve with a box over it can help you calculate irradi...
   5. FIGURE 4-5: An example of NREL peak sun hours data.
   6. FIGURE 4-6: An insolation map of the United States.
   7. FIGURE 4-7: The earth’s movement around the sun.
   8. FIGURE 4-8: How earth’s tilt affects the amount of daylight on the solstices and...
   9. FIGURE 4-9: Altitude and azimuth.
   10. FIGURE 4-10: A sun chart for 30 degrees north latitude.
   11. FIGURE 4-11: The solar window.
   12. FIGURE 4-12: A PV module with an azimuth of about 165 degrees.
4. Chapter 5
   1. FIGURE 5-1: Compass views showing positive and negative magnetic declination.
   2. FIGURE 5-2: Obstructions as viewed on a sun chart.
   3. FIGURE 5-3: A typical tilt and orientation graph.
5. Chapter 6
   1. FIGURE 6-1: A solar cell with a PN junction.
   2. FIGURE 6-2: The movement of electrons though the PN junction.
   3. FIGURE 6-3: A monocrystalline cell module (a) and a multicrystalline cell module...
   4. FIGURE 6-4: A typical IV curve for an individual PV module.
   5. FIGURE 6-5: IV curves of the same module at varying temperatures.
   6. FIGURE 6-6: IV curves of the same PV module at varying levels of irradiance.
6. Chapter 7
   1. FIGURE 7-1: The construction of a typical PV system battery.
   2. FIGURE 7-2: The chemical reaction that occurs when discharging and charging a ba...
   3. FIGURE 7-3: Battery capacity versus discharge rates.
7. Chapter 8
   1. FIGURE 8-1: Some examples of charge controllers.
   2. FIGURE 8-2: Three-stage charging for a charge controller.
   3. FIGURE 8-3: The power gained through the use of MPPT controllers.
8. Chapter 9
   1. FIGURE 9-1: Your average grid-direct inverter.
   2. FIGURE 9-2: A typical battery-based inverter.
9. Chapter 10
   1. FIGURE 10-1: Different circuits in a PV system.
   2. FIGURE 10-2: Conduit used in PV systems.
   3. FIGURE 10-3: A disconnect integrated into an inverter (a) and separate disconnec...
   4. FIGURE 10-4: Sample labels for PV systems.
10. Chapter 11
    1. FIGURE 11-1: The DC voltage window in an IV curve.
    2. FIGURE 11-2: NEC^® Table 690.7.
11. Chapter 12
    1. FIGURE 12-1: An example of a load-analysis spreadsheet.
    2. FIGURE 12-2: A battery bank’s number of cycles versus its depth of discharge.
12. Chapter 13
    1. FIGURE 13-1: A portion of NEC^® Table 310.16.
    2. FIGURE 13-2: A portion of NEC^® Table 310.17.
    3. FIGURE 13-3: A portion of the NEC^® “Conductor Properties” table (Chapter 9,...
13. Chapter 14
    1. FIGURE 14-1: A one-line drawing used to obtain electrical permits.
14. Chapter 15
    1. FIGURE 15-1: The right way to set up a ladder.
    2. FIGURE 15-2: Essential fall-protection gear for rooftop work.
    3. FIGURE 15-3: A locked and tagged disconnect.
15. Chapter 16
    1. FIGURE 16-1: Flush-to-roof racking.
    2. FIGURE 16-2: Ground mounting.
    3. FIGURE 16-3: Top-of-pole mounting.
    4. FIGURE 16-4: Different types of flashing.
16. Chapter 17
    1. FIGURE 17-1: Equipment-grounding options for PV modules.
    2. FIGURE 17-2: System-grounding options for utility-interactive PV systems.
    3. FIGURE 17-3: A typical utility-required disconnect location.
17. Chapter 18
    1. FIGURE 18-1: A sample system-commissioning form.

Guide

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