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Solar supply on test reports

Alan B

How do I document and test existing solar secondary supply when adding or modifying an installation that includes solar but not working on the solar system.

I have worked on a few installations now that have main supply plus solar, I have no training on solar installations.

I look to make sure cabling looks professional and that there are isolators on DC input to inverter and AC output from inverter, use them to isolate the supply while I work.

On the test report I record that there is a second supply and that it's solar but I don't do any testing or open anything up.

Is this enough or do I need to start learning more about solar and doing more?

I haven't worked on an installation with battery but same question.

Also if I was asked to do an EICR do I just agree with the owner that the EICR doesn't include the solar installation or do I need to decline the job until I get more knowledge on solar?

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    The install standard on quite a few domestic PV installs is poor, and battery systems with the added complexity is even worse. When i was still installing solar I was asked to check some installs that were not working properly and found various issues,  AC connected as a spur of the ring, connected to an immersion and or lighting circuit at the fuse/mcb, T&E tails straight into the utility electric meter before going into a sub board and a couple where the PV was connected the wrong side of the utility meter so the user was being charged for their own generation. I did try to report 1 install to NAPIT as the test cert showed a sub board with RCD and B16 MCB had been fitted but in reality the AC circuit had been stabbed into the 30A BS3036 for the sockets, at the time they said the owner had to report it. The inverters weren't always set to the right countries either so not G83 compliant.  

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    The install standard on quite a few domestic PV installs is poor, and battery systems with the added complexity is even worse. When i was still installing solar I was asked to check some installs that were not working properly and found various issues,  AC connected as a spur of the ring, connected to an immersion and or lighting circuit at the fuse/mcb, T&E tails straight into the utility electric meter before going into a sub board and a couple where the PV was connected the wrong side of the utility meter so the user was being charged for their own generation. I did try to report 1 install to NAPIT as the test cert showed a sub board with RCD and B16 MCB had been fitted but in reality the AC circuit had been stabbed into the 30A BS3036 for the sockets, at the time they said the owner had to report it. The inverters weren't always set to the right countries either so not G83 compliant.  

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