>The NEC rules (and similar.. NFPA 780 for lightning) are evolving fairly
>rapidly for solar panels. Solar panels raise all sorts of complex
>issues.. For instance, you can't turn them off.. if there's light on
>them, there's power coming out.
John's, like mine and many other new installations, use a system that does kind
of turn-off... each panel has a micro-inverter that takes the output
from the one panel and converts it to 220vac and feeds it back into the house
and grid. they sync with the grid and if they don't sense the incoming
grid voltage they shut off. this is a safety requirement to prevent
backfeeding the street in case of power outage. see
http://enphase.com/products/microinverters/
these systems have no battery, heavy dc wiring, large inverter, or load
switching system. They are more efficient since there is no chemical
conversion, and there are also
no battery maintenance issues. they are modular so if one panel or inverter
dies the rest keep right on going, and since they
allow monitoring output from each panel so you can diagnose problems easily.
they also communicate their output to the manufacturer's web site
where you can get reports and graphs of your output as well as real time email
notification of problems... see
https://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/public/systems/BpbD5251
there is some more information on my installation at:
http://www.k1ttt.net/misc/pv.pdf
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