It’s encouraging to see how much safer — and less expensive — solar equipment has become over the past dozen years. These improvements will continue as engineers and manufacturers collaborate with code officials. There is a vibrant interplay between new code requirements (such as arc fault detection or roof fire resistance) and new product engineers. Sitting at the intersection are organizations like the Solar America Board for Codes and Standards (Solar ABCs) and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC).
IREC is known for identifying challenging issues related to clean energy, then bringing together the right team to produce practical solutions. The Solar America Board for Codes and Standards is a collaborative effort among experts to formally gather and prioritize input from the broad spectrum of solar photovoltaic stakeholders including policy makers, manufacturers, installers, and consumers resulting in coordinated recommendations to codes and standards making bodies for existing and new solar technologies.
The projects that these groups have worked on recently will define the nature of future solar installations, including grounding of rooftop equipment, new fire classification of PV modules, and expedited permitting. My guest on this week’s Energy Show on Renewable Energy World is Larry Sherwood, VP and COO of IREC and Project Administrator for Solar ABCs. Click here to listen to the latest Energy Show podcast as we discuss the new standards for PV modules, racking and inverters that are coming into play this year.