- Jan 20, 2012
- 4,122
- 1,135
- 2,688
- If you're a qualified, trainee, or retired electrician - Which country is it that your work will be / is / was aimed at?
- United Kingdom
- What type of forum member are you?
- Other
- If other, please explain
- Solar installer for 15 years
- Business Name
- Leeds Solar
grrr got a last minute quote request to install 10kWp of solar PV on a house that's needing to meet code for sustainable homes level 6.
so far so good, but the roofers have the slates stacked up ready to install, and nobody has thought to inform the customer that they will actually need to obtain permission from the DNO to connect a 10kWp solar PV system.
to compound the issue, there are 2 other houses on this development on the same grid connection (it at least is a 3 phase main connection) both also having 10kWp installed.
If it weren't for the fact that one of the systems has been installed with what looks like some form of metal roofing rails bolted directly through the slates - ie all the weight taken directly on the slates, and who knows what water proofing's gone on, then I might think that at least they'd have had permission to connect on their phase of the 3 phase supply. I suspect they're actually under the impression that each house is connecting on 3 phase, and as they're only responsible for the single installation, then they don't need to concern themselves with anything like G83 stage 2 relating to the full 30kWp being installed acoss the 3 houses within the development. I'm not sure the DNO would agree with this position, and it certainly won't help if the grid can't cope and the inverters end up tripping out any time the sun comes out to play.
Also, they specified 10kWp of south facing solar PV on a house without a south facing roof.... and then they've accused me of picking holes in their well worked out plan because I've been asking if it's possible to install solar water heating in place of some of the PV, and a heat pump instead of the biomass boiler, in an attempt to reduce the risk of ending up with a solar PV system that's too big to be fully connected to the grid.
No wonder there are a few horror stories around about some of these supposedly zero carbon homes.
so far so good, but the roofers have the slates stacked up ready to install, and nobody has thought to inform the customer that they will actually need to obtain permission from the DNO to connect a 10kWp solar PV system.
to compound the issue, there are 2 other houses on this development on the same grid connection (it at least is a 3 phase main connection) both also having 10kWp installed.
If it weren't for the fact that one of the systems has been installed with what looks like some form of metal roofing rails bolted directly through the slates - ie all the weight taken directly on the slates, and who knows what water proofing's gone on, then I might think that at least they'd have had permission to connect on their phase of the 3 phase supply. I suspect they're actually under the impression that each house is connecting on 3 phase, and as they're only responsible for the single installation, then they don't need to concern themselves with anything like G83 stage 2 relating to the full 30kWp being installed acoss the 3 houses within the development. I'm not sure the DNO would agree with this position, and it certainly won't help if the grid can't cope and the inverters end up tripping out any time the sun comes out to play.
Also, they specified 10kWp of south facing solar PV on a house without a south facing roof.... and then they've accused me of picking holes in their well worked out plan because I've been asking if it's possible to install solar water heating in place of some of the PV, and a heat pump instead of the biomass boiler, in an attempt to reduce the risk of ending up with a solar PV system that's too big to be fully connected to the grid.
No wonder there are a few horror stories around about some of these supposedly zero carbon homes.
