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Solar ABCs Newsletter
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March 2009
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Upcoming Stakeholder Meetings
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March 24, 2pm EDT
Solar ABCs Product Safety Panel Stakeholder Meeting (conference call)
March 26, 2pm EDT
Solar ABCs Interconnection and Net Metering Panel Stakeholder Meeting (conference call)
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Greetings!
Welcome to the March newsletter for the Solar America Board for Codes
and Standards (Solar ABCs). In this newsletter you will learn about fire safety research, two upcoming stakeholder meetings, Advisory Committee nominations, IEEE, ASTM, and SEMI activities, and more. If you want to play an active role in discussion, debate, and the preparation of position statements and policies, you may sign up to become an active member
of one or more panels. The Solar ABCs is organized into different
panels with each having responsibility for different topics related to
specific codes or standards. Let me know if you have any suggestions for future newsletters or any other comments for Solar ABCs.
Sincerely,  Larry Sherwood
Project Administrator
Solar America Board for Codes and Standards
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Fire Safety Research Begins
This new UL Fire Safety Research Project will provide critically needed test data to develop the appropriate requirements and answer pertinent industry questions and issues associated with the use of PV modules over Fire Class rated roofing materials. UL will conduct the research in two phases.
During the first phase, UL will use a non-flammable material rather than PV modules to study the interaction of the panel and the roof during fire tests. Twenty-five tests will study the effect of stand-off height above the roof and vertical vs. horizontal mounting rails on the flame shape during the spread-of-flame test. In addition three burning brand tests and two spread-of-flame tests will be conducted using actual PV modules during phase one.
Based on the results of the Phase 1 tests, a detailed test plan for Phase 2 will be developed. All of the Phase 2 tests will use PV modules and will study different combinations of PV modules and roofing materials. The tests will use panels donated by several manufacturers. The Phase 1 tests will begin this spring with Phase 2 scheduled to be complete by the summer. A white paper will summarize the research and become the basis for discussion with industry and other stakeholders of "what's next" on this issue.
Click here for more information on this issue.
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Interconnection and Net Metering Stakeholder Meeting
Thursday March 26,2pm EDT (Conference Call)
The Solar ABC's Interconnection and Net Metering Panel will hold its
Quarterly Meeting on March 26, 2009. The meeting will be conducted via
conference call from 2 PM - 4 PM ET. The meeting will cover the new
study areas, on which work will begin soon. These study areas are:
- Rate Impact of Net Metering - Economic evaluation
- Evolution of Net Metering Rates
- Review of FERC's SGIP Interconnection Screens
- Potential for AMI Data to Reduce Technical Issues Related to Interconnection
- Examination of NREL RSI Studies and Guidance to States Adopting Interconnection Procedures and Net Metering Laws
- Ownership of Data from AMI systems.
During the course of the meeting the I/NM panel will present an
overview of each topic and the timeline for completion. We welcome
input from Stakeholders on each of these topics.
Click here to register for the meeting.
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Product Safety Panel Stakeholder Meeting
Tuesday March 24, 4pm EDT (Conference Call)
The Product Safety Panel Stakeholder Meeting will address the following topics:
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UL Fire Test Project
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Arc Fault Interrupter (AFCI) Requirements
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Status of UL 61730
A more detailed agenda will be available before the call.
Click here to register for the meeting.
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Solar ABCs Seeks New Advisory Committee Members
The Solar America Board for Codes and
Standards seeks nominations for its Advisory Committee. The
Advisory Committee provides recommendations to the Solar ABCs
Steering Committee on solar codes and standards issues, elect one
member to the Steering Committee, and provide valuable support to the
Panels in completion of their respective projects. The Advisory Committee meets 2-4 times per year by conference call or at national conferences.
Advisory
Committee members includes a balance of Stakeholders from industry,
utilities, trade organizations, advocacy groups, individuals and
states, and others. The Solar ABCs Steering Committee expects to add up to five new members and especially seeks nominations representing BIPV (and/or AC modules), utilities, and local government (such as Solar Cities representatives).
To
nominate yourself or someone else, send a letter to Larry Sherwood explaining your background and why you
would like to serve on the Solar ABCs Advisory Committee. Nomination
letters are due by March 23, 2009. |
New IEEE 1547 Interconnection Standards Project
The IEEE Standards Board approved starting development of IEEE Standard P1547.7TM Draft Guide to Conducting Distribution Impact Studies for Distributed Resource Interconnection. In part, the purpose states: "... Establishment of this guide allows distributed resource owners, interconnection contractors, area electric distribution power system owners and operators, and regulatory bodies to have a described methodology for when distribution system impact studies are appropriate, what data is required, how they are performed, and how the study results are evaluated. In the absence of such guidelines, the necessity and extent of DR interconnection impact studies has been widely and inconsistently defined and applied. "
In January there was a P1547.7 ad hoc working group meeting. The formal kickoff meeting is tentatively scheduled for June 10-11, 2009 (location to be determined). The ad hoc meeting minutes and background information will soon be posted on the IEEE-SCC21 web site. Mr. Robert (Bob) Saint is P1547.7 Chair and Mr. Thomas (Tom) Basso is Secretary.
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Xcel Energy Eliminates Requirement for Utility External Disconnect Switch
Xcel Energy announced that it will not longer require a Utility External Disconnect Switch (UEDS) on PV systems of 10 kW or less in Colorado, as long as the system uses a UL1741 certified inverter. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission has a proceeding underway, which will include consideration of the UEDS requirement for the other Investor Owned Utility in Colorado and for rural electric coops. For more information on UEDS, see the Solar ABCs report, Utility External Disconnect Switch: Practical, Legal and Technical Reasons to Eliminate the Requirement and the NREL Report, Utility-Interconnected Photovoltaic Systems: Evaluating the Rationale for the Utility-Accessible External Disconnect Switch.
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ASTM Solar Standards
ASTM International Technical Committee E44 on Solar, Geothermal and
Alternative Energy Sources is organizing renewed efforts for standards
development in the solar energy industry. During their February 19th
virtual meeting with national laboratories, manufacturers, government
agencies and researchers, they were able to identify various areas of
both short and long term standards development needs. ASTM technical
committee E44 will evaluate and address those recently identified needs
but aspires to expand upon them and increase their efforts.
ASTM
is actively seeking participation and input from stakeholders who are
not involved with our consensus process. These standards will be
utilized by the public and private sectors in the growing global
renewable energy market. By becoming actively involved with the
committee you will help shape the standards that will be used by the
solar industry. ASTM technical committee E44 will hold its next face to
face meeting in Atlanta, Georgia this November 10-11th with virtual
meetings in the interim. For more information or to receive updates
about their efforts, please contact Christine DeJong at 610-832-9736 or
cdejong@astm.org.
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SEMI Workshop on c-Si Photovoltaic Cells
May 13, 8:30am - 6pm MST, Tempe, AZ
This Joint SEMI-DOE PV Cell Workshop will explore expanding the demographic scope and support for developing useful cell standards. It may develop that a SEMI document will be a cell specification template, while other organizations produce a Prequalification Specification utilizing the SEMI cell specification format.
To register, contact Kevin Nguyen, SEMI.
Deadline - April 1, 2009; space is limited, first-come, first-serve
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SEMI PV Standards Roadmap
SEMI's PV Standards Road mapping activity kicked off in May 2008 with formation of an industry core group.
The Phase 1 Global PV Standards Roadmap Guidance Document can be downloaded here.
This includes: a) a high-level assessment of all [semiconductor-centric] SEMI Standards and Safety Guidelines with respect to their applicability to PV manufacturing and b) review ASTM, IEEE and IEC standards. The document concludes that 80% of the existing eighty SEMI Standard Topics are generally applicable to PV.
Phase 2 will rate the ease with which individual Standards could become "PV ready". It will also identify and prioritize PV areas needing standards, including a detailed needs description. Other Standards Development Organization's input and cooperation will be developed, and selected new standards development work will begin. The PV Standards Roadmap Phase 2 report will be released at Intersolar N.A. / SEMICON West, during the week of July 15, 2009 in San Francisco.
Participation in the SEMI Roadmap is easy and free of charge. Contact Kevin Nguyen for details.
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