PV202 focuses significantly on the National Electrical Code, including interconnection calculations, grounding, workspace clearances, and disconnect and overcurrent protection sizing and considerations.
Commercial system equipment specifications including inverters, racking, and three-phase interconnection are covered; as well as site considerations for roof- and ground-mounted arrays, including layout and inter-row shading. PV 202 thoroughly addresses array sizing with various inverter configurations, in order to assess design options and optimize performance. Students will learn to evaluate system performance under various operating conditions, and identify and correct installation errors including ground-faults. This course combines class lectures with individual problem solving exercises covering common design considerations. The online course is six weeks long and covers all of the material presented in the in-person workshop.
Students who complete the workshop will be able to perform the following:
- Determine requirements for disconnects and series fusing, including labeling
- Perform interconnection and labeling calculations for single- and three-phase AC services
- Specify inverters based on system variables, and size inverter subpanel combiners
- Perform calculations related to mounting PV arrays, including inter-row shading and uplift forces
- Examine array mounting options for large systems
- Size grounding conductors for the AC and DC side of the system, and identify causes of, and troubleshooting procedures for ground-faults
- Optimize the match between an inverter and array, and perform sizing and interconnection calculations for commercial-scale systems
- Identify installation considerations to meet NEC requirements and ensure long-lasting, safe systems
- Locate and troubleshoot common installation errors when commissioning a system
- Perform production analysis calculations to compare expected output to measured output for an operating system
