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The Solar ABCs is a collaborative effort among experts to formally gather and prioritize input from the broad spectrum of photovoltaic stakeholders resulting in coordinated recommendations to codes and standards making bodies for existing and new solar technologies.

The Solar ABCs is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under Award Number DE-FC36-07GO17034

Solar ABCs Newsletter
March 2012
In This Issue
1. Assessing Rate Impacts of Net Metering
2. Ground-Fault Protection Blind Spot
3. Proposed Standard for Nameplate, Datasheet and Sampling
4. Test Method for Reporting System Performance
5. Common Functions for Smart Inverters
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Greetings!

Welcome to the March newsletter for the Solar America Board for Codes and Standards (Solar ABCs).   Each Solar ABCs newsletter provides the latest news and information about solar codes and standard achievements, announcements, and events. Please contact me if you have any questions or comments.

 

Sincerely,

 

signature
Larry Sherwood
Project Administrator
Solar America Board for Codes and Standards  
1. New Solar ABCs Report:
A Generalized Approach to Assessing Rate Impacts of Net Metering 
 

 

The Solar ABCs has released a new report entitled A Generalized Approach to Assessing the Rate Impacts of Net Energy Metering that presents a thorough examination of the impact of net metered solar facilities on non-participating customers' utility rates. It puts forward a methodology for the valuation of net energy metering (NEM) focused on best practices. Information in this report will assist state policy makers, utility planners, utility regulators, and all other stakeholders who must evaluate the potential rate impacts of NEM in their states. Download and read the report. 

 

2. New Solar ABCs White Paper:
The Ground-Fault Protection Blind Spot: A Safety Concern for Larger PV Systems in the U.S.  

 

This Solar ABCs white paper addresses an important safety issue in the design of many U.S. photovoltaic (PV) systems. This safety issue-undetected faults in grounded PV array conductors-came to light during investigations into two well-publicized PV system fires. The first occurred on April 5, 2008, in Bakersfield, California, and the second occurred on April 16, 2011, in Mount Holly, North Carolina. This paper provides a basic explanation of the cause of these fires, followed by an outline of a limited research plan designed to develop solutions. It also includes fire mitigation strategies and equipment recommendations to reduce fire danger in new and retrofit applications based on preliminary results of the fire investigations.  Download and read the report.

 

3. New Solar ABCs Report:
A Proposed Standard for Nameplate Datasheet, and Sampling Requirements of PV Modules 

 

The Solar ABCs has released a new report that represents the implementation of the March 2011 Solar ABCs policy statement (Photovoltaic Module Power Rating) into a photovoltaic (PV) module standard with a text format acceptable to standard developing organizations. Underwriters Laboratories is now developing this proposal into a standard. Download and read the report. 

 
4. New ASTM Standard:
E2848 Test Method for Reporting non-Concentrator System Performance 

 

 ASTM International is developing a new standard, E2848 Test Method for Reporting PV non-Concentrator System Performance, which aims to simplify the process of photovoltaic system acceptance and help reduce the cost associated with negotiating a PV system purchase. The E2848 is being developed by the E44.09 Subcommittee on Photovoltaic Electric Power Conversion, which is part of the ASTM International Committee E44 on Solar, Geothermal and Other Alternative Energy Sources. PV system developers and purchasers are encouraged to join in the standards developing activities of E44.09. Visit the ASTM website to learn more.
5. New Report from EPRI:
Common Functions for Smart Inverters


The Electric Power Research Institute's (EPRI) Common Functions for Smart Inverters report is now available online. This report summarizes the work of an industry collaborative effort that has been underway since 2009, which defines the common functions and communication protocols for integration of smart distributed resources with the grid. Furthermore, this report provides a compiled summary of the function descriptions that this industry collaborative effort has produced thus far. Each function is presented in the form of a proposal, which is the language used by the volunteer working group. This reflects the fact that the functions are not legal standards unless and until they are adopted by a standards development organization (SDO).

 

The goal is to enable high-penetration scenarios in which a diversity of resources in varying sizes and from varying manufacturers can be integrated into distribution circuits in a manageable and beneficial way. This requires a degree of consistency in the services and functions that these devices provide and uniform, standards-based communication protocols for their integration with utility distribution management and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems.  Download and read the report.