Placing in solar panel by your self is normally a cost-effective and rewarding experience; it may well prevent a serious sum of cash by slicing contractors out of the equation and take satisfaction in your particular person handiwork.
Nonetheless, for the aspiring solar panel DIY-er, determining how one can arrange photograph voltaic panels can seem daunting. Fear not! Whether or not or not you’re considering a grid-tie system or an off-grid reply, we’ve created a full, step-by-step photograph voltaic panel arrange info that may assist you to by each stage of the photograph voltaic arrange course of
Solar Panels Arrange Planning & Safety
The essential factor to any worthwhile solar panels arrange problem is having a clearly constructed plan with measures in place to verify the safety of everyone involved.
Really, there are some issues you’ll be able to do sooner than you even unpack your system to confirm the photograph voltaic arrange course of goes simply from beginning to complete. These embrace:
- Shopping for provides that are not included in your cargo (wiring, devices, and plenty of others.)
- Staying organized whereas unboxing your system
- Inspecting your cargo to verify nothing is missing or damaged
- Reviewing safety suggestions for placing in your system
Provides to Purchase
Our packages embrace gear and provides that may assist you to with a worthwhile arrange. Together with what’s included in our packages, gather additional gear and provides needed for placing in photograph voltaic panels, along with:
Wiring
Your electrical wiring diagram will outline the size and measurement of wire needed to your problem. Ask for a duplicate of your wiring diagram to provide provides out of your native ironmongery store.
Junction Containers & Splices
- Use insulated lugs or totally different accepted splicing models (no wire nuts for DC splices).
- All junction and splice packing containers ought to meet the voltage and amperage requirements for the circuit they’re part of.
- Outside packing containers need to be rated for outside use.
- Flooring splices normally require an irreversible splice.
AC Breakers & Sub-Panels
- AC breakers are required to import/export AC vitality out of your gear.
- Circuit breakers have quite a few utterly totally different mounting selections. Study your AC breaker panel for an inventory of applicable selections.
- Devoted sub-panels are generally used to combine AC photograph voltaic circuits. Sub-panels do not allow for load breakers to be positioned inside them.
- AC sub-panels need to be sized with enough headroom to cowl the output coming in from the photograph voltaic circuits.
AC Disconnects & Fuses
- Most packages require a lockable safety disconnect.
- A normal connection that backfeeds the grid would require a non-fused handbook AC Disconnect. This may be included alongside together with your system—confirm the elements itemizing in your quote/order kind.
- A line-side faucet connection would require a fused handbook AC disconnect. The fusing offers the necessary overcurrent security for the circuit.
- AC disconnects need to be mounted exterior, normally inside 10 ft or in direct line of sight of your most essential billing meter. Study alongside together with your AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) for specific particulars on placement requirements.
PV Meters
- In case you’re placing in a grid-tied system, your utility may require a devoted PV meter to measure manufacturing coming from the photograph voltaic array.
- In plenty of circumstances, you merely need to place in the meter socket or base. The utility agency will arrange the meter face as quickly as you are accepted to activate the system.
- Contact your utility agency for an inventory of accepted meter sockets.
Conduits & Meters
- The NEC (Nationwide Electrical Code) requires photograph voltaic wiring to be transitioned to conduit sooner than leaving the array. EMT (electrical metallic tubing) is required till in another case specified.
- You need to use larger conduit than specified if necessary, to ease the conductors in. Not at all use smaller conduit than what’s spec’d in your plans.
EMT vs. ENT Conduit
EMT is a thin-walled, rigid raceway that need to be grounded. It is almost always made out of steel. EMT need to be used till your native authority approves ENT conduit to your problem.
ENT is a non-metallic, pliable raceway that does not needs to be grounded and is perhaps bent by hand. ENT is cheaper and less complicated to work with, nonetheless should not be allowed beneath most developing codes.
Mounting Provides
Flooring Mounting — Flooring mounts require concrete, kind bracing and 2- or 3-inch mechanical tubing. Since these provides are costly to ship, it’s cheaper to provide them regionally. Your racking report will specify the entire linear ft of pipe and cubic yards of concrete required for the problem.
Moreover, you’ll need lumber to assemble a physique to hold the pipes in place whereas the concrete cures. This useful info from IronRidge explains the way in which it works. The underside mount half of this photograph voltaic panel arrange info moreover incorporates further data on developing a substructure.
Roof Mounting — Buy quite a few tubes of roof sealant to forestall leaks and wind hurt. Make sure you get a sealant that is relevant for use alongside together with your roof supplies.
Moreover, ponder looking for an amazing drill within the occasion you don’t private one. You might be using a protracted 1/8 inch drill bit and a 7/16 inch deep socket for lag bolts.
Unboxing
After your system arrives, there is a 24-hour window from provide to submit supply claims to Unbound Photograph voltaic. Unpack your system immediately when it arrives to confirm for hurt or missing elements.
- Uncover a clear, open home the place you’ll unbox and study your gear.
- Place free elements into resealable plastic baggage and label them so that they don’t get misplaced.
- Study the contents of the cargo in opposition to the packing itemizing to verify each factor is there.
- If there are any missing or damaged objects, take photos for reference and make contact with Unbound Photograph voltaic immediately to restore the issue.
- In case you don’t plan to place in instantly, place batteries on a charger ASAP. Batteries can fail within the occasion that they sit for an extended time interval with out charging.
- In case you bought micro-inverters or vitality optimizers, preserve any documentation with stickers or QR codes. These will in all probability be used to create an array map afterward so which unit controls which panel.
Safety Considerations
Since photograph voltaic arrange contains heavy lifting, electrical work, and doubtlessly climbing in your roof, safety have to be prioritized all the time. After all, what good is a shiny new photograph voltaic system within the occasion you’re not spherical to take pleasure in its benefits?
Use our photograph voltaic panel arrange info for ensuring the safety of your self and others all by the arrange course of.
Defending Instruments
Photograph voltaic gear may trigger cuts, scrapes, lacerations, gouges, and puncture wounds. Use the right gear and keep in mind to take breaks to avoid getting fatigued.
- Placed on eye security, gloves, and closed-toe boots all the time.
- Take away all metallic jewelry, along with watches.
- Placed on prolonged sleeves when mixing concrete to avoid burning your pores and pores and skin. Use a roof anchor and safety harness for roof work.
Fall Security (Roof Mounts)
In case you might be placing in a roof-mount system, fall security is required any time you or your helpers are on the roof.
- Arrange roof anchors.
- Use a safety harness related to the anchor any time you are on the roof.
- Roof-ready boots with flat soles will assist get a grip on roof shingles, tiles, or metallic.
- Ponder renting scaffolding and/or a boom-lift to make it less complicated for people and gear to get to extreme areas.
- Focus on local weather conditions which may make rooftop work briefly unsafe.
Dig Safety (Flooring Mounts)
Even when your ft are firmly planted on the underside, there can nonetheless be hazard afoot. In case you’re ground mounting your panels, you will wish to always observe the subsequent safety precautions.
- Identify the native authority sooner than starting any digging initiatives to avoid hitting buried gasoline or electrical traces.
- In case you use a concrete truck, don’t drive over septic or drainage traces, and avoid
low-hanging vitality or phone traces. - Stay away from contact with moist concrete, which could set off caustic burns on bare pores and pores and skin. Placed on gloves, eye security, and prolonged sleeves.
- Use an N-95 respirator masks in case you might be mixing your particular person concrete to avoid inhaling harmful chemical compounds.
- In case you use heavy gear, get teaching on how one can operate the gear, or have an expert operator on website online.
Electrical Safety
- Take away all metallic jewelry, along with watches.
- Maintain a multimeter accessible. Study conductors and terminators to substantiate there are zero volts present sooner than persevering with.
- Make sure that all wires are stripped and/or terminated appropriately using a torque wrench/driver when necessary.
- Route wires away from sharp edges and pinch elements that will hurt the wire.
Heavy Carry Safety
- Plan your elevate; know what you are shifting and the place sooner than lifting.
- Have two or further people carry panels in heavy winds to avoid accidents.
- Ensure your footing is regular.
- Carry alongside together with your legs by squatting so that you just don’t put added stress in your once more.
- Stay away from twisting whereas lifting and preserve the load close to your physique.
- Ask for help when you need it and await help when it is essential to. In case you aren’t sure whether or not or not you’ll elevate one factor alone, err on the side of warning.
- Use a hoist or crane to elevate heavy gear if necessary.
