The safety and compliance issues of PIPV systems.
Plug-In Photovoltaic (PIPV) equipment and systems are receiving a lot of attention since several states in the USA are permitting their installation, but questions are being raised regarding the safety and compliance of these systems.
PIPV systems are intended to be connected to existing branch circuits through a cord-and-plug connection. These systems are marketed as simple, consumer-installable generation equipment that connects directly to a general-purpose receptacle.
However, these products are not approved and currently there are no applicable Canadian safety standards. Additionally, they cannot be installed in a safe or compliant manner, and introduce several safety hazards such as the existing receptacles and the electrical system installed were never intended for back feeding from an energy source.
The product may cause overheating and fire from overloaded receptacles or branch circuit wiring. Other potential issues are high-resistance heating at loose plug connections, along with back feed and islanding hazards during outages. The risk of shock or electrocution from the exposed accessible metal live parts from the male-end cords increases the likelihood of serious injury.
PIPV systems can also compromise GFCI protection. Current GFCI standards assume uni-directional current flow, but PIPV introduces bi-directional flow, potentially blinding GFCIs and leaving circuits unprotected.
In addition to the obvious safety hazards, there are numerous Canadian Electrical Code (CE Code) requirements that need to be satisfied with the introduction of an embedded energy source. Some examples include:
With increased interest in these products and in an attempt to mitigate the associated safety risks, UL has published an Outline of Investigation (OOI) UL3700 for PIPV equipment.
Additionally, there is a bi-national UL standard under development, ANSI/CAN/UL 3700 related to Plug-In Solar products.
Once published, PIPV equipment can be certified to this standard. The certification requirements will mitigate the risks outlined above.
One of the main requirements of the OOI is requiring proprietary non-standard plug configurations. This requirement forces the installation of a specialty proprietary outlet with corresponding configuration (mated pair). This accomplishes three important goals:
Although this requirement can be perceived as an obstacle that is taking away one of the fundamental features of the product – to be easily plugged into an existing receptacle – it is critical to understand the safety hazards introduced by that feature.
Other requirements of the OOI include bi-directional GFC protection, anti-islanding features, and marking installation instructions.
As a minimum to consider accepting plug-in photovoltaic equipment, the following conditions must be met:
Nansy Hanna, P.Eng., is Senior Director, Engineering & Regulations, at Ontario’s Electrical Safety Authority (ESA). She is also Chair of the ESA’s Ontario Provincial Code Committee and a member of the CSA Technical Committee on CE Code-Part I..
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