Depending on where you are in the country, integrating energy storage systems (ESS) with commercial solar photovoltaic (PV) systems offers significant financial benefits. ESS can enhance the cost-effectiveness of solar energy through strategies like energy arbitrage, peak demand reduction, and avoiding PV export penalties. These advantages lead to substantial savings and improve the overall return […]
The utility-scale PV market is maturing. Last year, 22.5 GW of utility-scale PV was installed in the US, a 77% jump from 2022. Solar PV accounted for over half (53%) of all new electricity-generating capacity additions for the first time ever. That fact bears repeating: the majority of the new power sources on the grid […]
In this blog article, we’ll take up the important and sometimes confounding topic of transformer selection for PV and PV-plus-storage projects. We’ll establish straightforward naming conventions for transformers and consider the case of the step-down transformer for a grid-tied PV system. For this discussion, we’ll focus on low-voltage distribution transformers. Windings: What’s in a name? […]
When determining a safe and compliant location for overcurrent protection devices (OCPDs) in supply-side connections, the National Electrical Code has made some important clarifications from the 2020 to 2023 edition. Ryan Mayfield covers this code evolution in our latest episode of Code Corner. NEC 2020 705.11(C) explicitly capped the length of a conductor from the […]
In this episode of Code Corner, our founder Ryan Mayfield spells out 2023 NEC wiring methods and dc equipment location rules for systems over 1000 Vdc. Let’s take the relevant sections of Article 690 one at a time. What does NEC 690.7 say? 690.7 Maximum Voltage. The maximum voltage of PV system dc circuits shall […]
At industry events like RE+ and Intersolar, you have to manage time carefully. It’s easy to go searching for useful information that can boost your job performance, grow your company, and help strengthen the industry, only to find yourself stuck listening to a warmed-over sales pitch. We believe the market needs a caretaker who can […]
Electrical connection points are essential building blocks for any circuit that often get overlooked. Electrical installations use contactors, quick-connects, and other termination methods to form current-carrying bridges between two or more circuit components. But, just like the overpass by your local highway, these electrical bridges are susceptible to damage, which can have outsized consequences. This […]
Here’s a scenario that will ring a note of familiarity for many solar and energy storage contractors. You have been dutifully following the provisions in the 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC) Section 705.11 that specify conductor lengths between the system disconnect and the point of interconnection. One of the jurisdictions where you work has adopted […]
As a solar professional, imagine your client telling you that safety and reliable operation are mission-critical for their system. How would you convince them that you can offer the best solution? True, the National Electric Code (NEC) is there to steer us away from many common pitfalls. But did you know that the NEC represents […]
When designing a solar PV system, knowing the minimum and maximum numbers of PV modules to connect in series as a string is critical. System designers regularly performed this calculation before the advent of dc optimizers. Optimizers — module-level power electronics (MLPEs) that dynamically manipulate the output voltage of modules — made this calculation much […]
Ready to move your project forward? Contact our engineering team today.
