SUGGESTIONS FOR OBTAINING PERMITS TO INSTALL PV SYSTEMS IN FLORIDA

(Note that inspections will be necessary before connecting to the utility and before applying for rebates in Florida.) 

Important:  The local utility company must be kept in the loop for each PV installation.  As soon as agreement is reached with the owner on a specific system, the utility serving the owner should be contacted and informed of the location of the installation.  The utility will ask for information on the system.  In particular, the utility will want to know that a visible, lockable, load-break, disconnect will be installed between the PV inverter output and the point of utility connection (PUC).  The utility will also want evidence that the inverter to be used has been listed to comply with UL standard 1741, which references IEEE Standard 929.  In order for an owner to connect to the grid, it will be necessary for the owner to sign a Utility Interconnect Agreement with the utility.  Utility web sites can normally be searched for the PV Interconnect representative. 

Obtaining installation permits will differ somewhat from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.  Each UPSUI Integrated PV System Installation Manual provides all or nearly all of the non-site-specific information that will be needed for a permit.  Site specific information will also be required.  In general, in Florida, to obtain a permit to install a UPSUI PV system, you may need: 

1.   A Notice of Commencement (NOC) form to be filed if the value of the job exceeds $2500.  Forms can usually be downloaded from the code jurisdiction web site. 

2. A completed electrical permit application.  In some jurisdictions, a roofing permit may also be required.  It is anticipated that as code jurisdictions become more familiar with PV installations, a single permit will be accepted for each installation.  The electrical permit application should include: 

a. A system description.  Page 3 of the Installation Manual will serve this purpose. 

b.   An electrical riser diagram.  An engineering seal may be required.  Sheet E-1 of the Installation Manual can be used for this purpose. 

c. Electrical schematic diagrams.  An engineering seal may be required.  The remaining E-sheets of the Installation Manual can be used for this purpose. 

c. Mechanical installation diagrams.  An engineering seal may be required.  The M-pages of the Installation Manual can be used for this purpose. 

d. Electrical calculations.  These are included in Appendix C of the Installation Manual. 

e. Wind load calculations.  These are included in Appendix C of the Installation Manual in general form.  Site specific information will be needed, along with the general information of Appendix C, to complete these calculations.  Appendix C includes a summary sheet for wind load calculations that shows all information required. 

f. A site diagram that shows the locations of all system components.  This part of the application package is site specific, and must be provided by the installer. 

g. Evidence that the PV system has been certified by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC).  Check the GRID CONNECTED PV SYSTEMS page for list of FSEC certified systems. 

h. A summary of emergency loads to be served by the PV system.  The total kVA of the loads should not exceed the rated kVA of the system inverter(s).  The summary might look something like the table on page 6 of the Installation Manual.  However, code officials may require the kVA of appliances to follow NEC 220, even if the actual connected load may be significantly less than the amount specified in NEC 220.  A sample load summary is shown at the end of this document. 

i. A summary of Certification of Component Listings.  Component listings can be found on the component data sheets in Appendix G of the Installation Manual.  All Outback components are listed by ETL and inverters are tested in accordance with UL 1741.  All PV modules are UL listed.  Batteries are generally ?U.  A sample listing form is included at the end of this document. 

j. Component Data Sheets.  The plan reviewers may want to see data sheets and installation manuals, particularly of the array mounting system.  All major component data sheets are included in the UPSUI Installation Manual. 

If additional information is required, or if there are any questions on any of the foregoing material, contact Sun Electronics.  Ask for a member of the UPSUI engineering staff. 

Following are examples of a load summary and a listing summary for major components, per items h and i. 

Battery Backup Grid-Connected Photovoltaic System Emergency Load Summary (Examples)  Load VA I, Amps Est Daily kWh Kitchen Ckt 1500 13 3.2 Family room ckt 1500 13 0.4 Microwave Oven 900 8 0.2 Master Bedroom Ckt 600 8 0.1 Bedroom #3 Ckt 480 4 0.1 TOTAL 4980 46 4.0   Note that the Outback Power Systems VFX3648 Inverter will supply a maximum of 3600 watts if the utility grid is down. When the utility grid is up, the inverter will pass through 60A @ 120V, or 7200 VA. The Xantrex SW5548 Inverter will supply a maximum of 5500 watts to emergency loads.  Each PV system can be expected to generate approximate daily kWh as shown on the GRID CONNECTED PV SYSTEMS page, which is based on typical Florida sunshine conditions.  Run times of loads may need to be adjusted on a daily basis to avoid having the inverter shut down if the battery state of charge reaches the minimum allowable limit of 44 volts.  The estimated daily kWh loads in the table are based on assumed emergency operation.  When the utility is in operation, the kWh consumption of emergency loads is no longer limited by battery capacity, since the grid will supply 7200 VA continuously via the inverter, if necessary.      Summary of Major Equipment Manufacturer, Model and Listing/Compliance (Example)  Item Manufacturer Model Listing/Compliance PV Modules Kyocera KC-125G UL Source Ckt Combiner Box Outback Power PSPV ETL DC Component Enclosure Outback Power PS2DC ETL MPPT Charge Controller Outback Power MX-60 ETL Inverter Outback Power GVFX-3648 ETL (to UL1741) AC Component Enclosure Outback Power PS2AC ETL Storage Batteries Concorde PVX-1080T ?U