ATTACHMENT B
PART 1 – GENERAL
1.1 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
A. Work included in this section: All materials, labor, equipment, services, and incidentals
necessary to install a complete Photovoltaic (PV) System as specified to form a complete
installation, ready for operation to produce solar power at the site, including but not limited to
the work listed below.
C. Contractor shall submit for and pay for the required permits and inspections with the local
authority having jurisdiction and Seattle City Light.
D. The Contractor shall complete all of the required paper work for the utility interconnection
agreement contract in conjunction with the Owner's input and approval, including rate
schedule designations. In order for the Installer to act on behalf of the owner, the Installer (in
conjunction with the owner) shall submit to the utility company the proper authorization forms.
E. The Contractor shall be responsible for and submitting, filing fees and to obtain any relevant
buy down incentive rebates available for the system and properly credit the value to the
owner. This shall include application (and payment) of all required "reservation" applications
as well as system applications and system certification and testing with the utility company to
receive the final rebates.
F. The Contractor shall be responsible for adequate clearance and equipment space within
each allotted areas. Alternate equipment sizes or requirements due to alternate designs are
the responsibility of the contractor. Additional floor area within the buildings will not be made
available for PV system equipment beyond that shown in these documents. The submitted
design must work-within these limits.
G. The system shall comply with all codes, and local authorities. The equipment includes, but is
not limited to, PV modules, inverters, disconnects, wire, conduit, junction boxes, mounting
hardware, and monitoring equipment.
H. The Contractor shall furnish and/or pay for all materials, fees, permits (not covered in the
general building permit), labor, tools, equipment, transportation and services required for a
complete installation.
I.
The Contractor shall provide access to equipment for maintenance and service as required
by the manufacturer’s instructions and/or applicable codes.
J.
The Contractor shall coordinate with the Owner on the locations and appearance of all
exposed equipment, including but not limited to: PV modules, conduit, inverter[s],wireways,
and control and monitoring equipment. All locations must be approved by the Owner.
K. The Contractor shall visit the site to ascertain the nature and location of the work and the
general and local conditions that could affect the work or the cost thereof.
L. The Contractor shall provide coordination with all trades needed for a complete installation
including all required electrical services, building integration elements, monitoring equipment,
and clearances.
M. Work shall comply with all applicable codes, standards, local authorities, utilities and
manufacturer’s instructions/recommendations.
N. The minimum requirement of the more stringent code or standard shall govern where more
than one code or standard is applicable to any component or condition.
O. The Contractor shall immediately notify the Owner of any provision in the specifications that
is contrary to the applicable codes.
P. Any work performed by the Contractor at variance with the applicable codes shall be
corrected as required without additional cost to the Owner.
1.2
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
A. The Contractor shall provide, install and test a new grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) system
identified in their proposal.
B. The system shall be utility grid connected with no storage batteries. The contractor shall be
responsible for all required local utility coordination, approval, and applications for the
complete interconnection of the PV system with the local utility grid. Vendor to provide and
install production meter and net meter.
C. The system shall consist of multiple arrays of framed photovoltaic modules, all mounting
hardware, ballast, terminal boxes and combiner panels, quick-connect electrical collectors,
DC wiring, DC disconnects, utility interactive inverter[s], AC disconnects, isolation
transformer[s], all related AC feeders, main PV distribution panel, main PV system
disconnect, and connection to provided data acquisition and monitoring system to allow the
owner to monitor and utilize the collected data [for educational purposes over the school
network].
D. The arrays shall cover various roof areas as conceptually indicated on the contract
documents. The solar system size capacity as a whole shall be a minimum of 20 KW using
the roof areas shown. Higher values are allowed and anticipated but the roof areas and
loading factors shown on the contract documents shall not be exceeded.
E. The contract documents show available equipment locations for the PV system. The
Contractor must obtain approval before altering any of the criteria set forth in these
documents.
F. All DC conductors shall be sized such that there is a maximum of 2% voltage drop measured
at the short circuit current rating of that circuit over the entire length of each circuit from PV
module to inverter and back to PV module. All AC conductors shall be sized for a maximum
of 2% voltage drop measured at the continuous AC current rating of the inverter between the
inverter and the point of interconnection with the grid.
G. Each series string of PV modules shall be independently protected by an isolation fuse or
breaker before it is connected in parallel with the other string on that PV output circuit. The
current rating of this isolation fuse or breaker shall be less than the de-rated ampacity of the
wiring that it is protecting and greater than 1.56 times the short circuit current rating of the PV
modules in that PV source circuit. All other conductors and overcurrent devices shall be sized
per the requirements of National Electric Code (NEC) Article 690-8.
H. An isolation transformer shall be part of the offered system for interfacing to the building's
electrical system.
1.3
APPLICABLE GUIDELINES / REGULATIONS / STANDARDS
A. National Electric Code (NEC)
1. Article 690 – Solar Photovoltaic Systems.
2. Article 250 - Grounding.
3. Article 110 – Requirements for Electrical Installations.
B. IEEE Standards
1. IEEE 1262 (1995) – PV Module Qualification for Performance and Reliability.
2. IEEE 929 (2000) – Inverter Interconnection Standard.
C. Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL) Standards
1. UL1703 – Flat Plate PV Modules and Panels.
2. UL1741 – Standard for Static Inverters and Charge Controllers for Use in
Photovoltaic Power Systems.
D. National Fire Protection Association Standards
E. CPUC approved Electric Rule 21 – Generating Facility Interconnections
F. OSHA Standards 1926 Subpart M – Fall Protection
G. ASCE Standards
1. ASCE 7-05 Chapter 13 – seismic design requirements for nonstructural components
1.4 UTILITY APPROVAL
A. Once the Contractor has all required building and electrical permits, Contractor shall file all
required paperwork and forms with Seattle City Light to apply for interconnection with the
utility grid.
B. Upon receipt of final building inspection approval, Contractor shall immediately send a copy
of the signed-off building permit to Seattle City Light and schedule the final Seattle City Light
inspection for the system. This inspection shall be scheduled for a date no later than two
weeks after the date of final building inspection.
1.5
QUALITY ASSURANCE
A. Contractor Qualifications: The PV system as described herein shall be built by a licensed (C46) solar contractor or a licensed (C-10) electrical contractor approved by the PV
manufacturer to install the PV system.
B. Installer Qualifications: A qualified installation contractor to a service center capable of
providing training, parts, and emergency maintenance repairs with the capability of next day
response time.
D. Photovoltaic modules shall be tested in the factory for design performance and results shall
be included in the Operation and Maintenance manuals.
E. Inverters shall be factory tested for performance and results shall be included in the 0 & M
manuals.
F. Electrical Components, Devices, and Accessories: Listed and labeled as defined in NFPA 70,
Article 100, by a testing agency acceptable to authorities having jurisdiction, and marked for
intended use.
G. Owner will make arrangements and pay for commissioning.
1.6
DELIVERY, STORAGE, AND HANDLING
A. All equipment and panels shall be handled with care so as not to damage the delivered
products. All equipment shall be installed in new and neat condition.
1.7
WARRANTY
A. The Contractor shall warrant that the work conforms to Contract requirements and is free of
any defects.
B. The Contractor shall provide a minimum of a full one-year warranty against breakdown or
unacceptable degradation of electrical output. The warranty must cover all of the components
of the PV generating system against breakdown or degradation in electrical output of more
than 10% of their originally rated electrical output. The warranty shall cover the full parts and
labor cost of repair or replacement of defective components or systems for a period of five
years from the date of acceptance by the owner.
C. The photovoltaic panels shall be covered by a manufacturer warranty for a minimum of 20
years.
D. The inverters shall be covered by a manufacturer warranty for a minimum of 5 years.
E. Any defective materials or inferior workmanship during installation and/or the warranty period
shall be corrected immediately to the satisfaction of the Owner and without additional cost to
the Owner.
1.8
SUBMITTALS
A. Product Data: For each type of product indicated. Include rated capacities, weights, operating
characteristics, furnished specialties, and accessories
1. DC/AC Inverters.
2. DC combiner boxes with fusing.
3. kWh Meter and Logger
4. Data Acquisition System
5. PV System weights
6. PV cells / tiles
7. Installation Manuals
B. Shop Drawings:
1. Wiring diagrams to detail power, signal, control, and correction circuits. Identify
terminals and wiring color-codes to facilitate installation, operation, and maintenance.
Indicate recommended wire types and sizes, and circuiting arrangements for fieldinstalled system wiring.
2. Roof plans with the PV System layout (based on submitted panel). Panels laid out to
maintain all roof drainage.
3. Engineering plan/calculations confirming that ballasted (minimal roof penetrations)
system including PV system, all mounting and ballast do not exceed 7pounds/per
square foot.
4. Details of seismic restraints including mounting, ballast, anchoring, and seismic
fastening devices.
5. Roof installed to maintain Malarky Roof Warranty.
6. Dimensioned Outline Drawings of Mounting Rack and support structure for
Photovoltaic Panels: Show internal seismic bracing, and locate center of gravity of
fully equipped and assembled unit. Locate and describe mounting and anchorage
provisions.
C. Manufacturer Seismic Qualification Certification: Submit certification that Photovoltaic system
components and their mounting and anchorage provisions are designed to remain in place
without separation of any parts when subjected to the seismic forces defined in Division 01
and ASCE Standards. Include the following:
1. Basis for Certification: Indicate whether certification is based on actual test of
assembled components or on calculation.
2. Detailed description of equipment anchorage devices on which the certification is
based and their installation requirements.
E. Field quality-control test reports.
F. Operation and Maintenance Manuals
PART 2 - PRODUCTS
2.1
GENERAL
A. All materials, fixtures, and equipment required for the work shall be new, of first-class quality,
and shall be furnished, delivered, erected, connected and finished in every detail, and shall
be selected and arranged as to fit properly into the building spaces. Where no specific kind or
quality of material is given, a first-class standard article as approved by the Architect shall be
furnished.
B. All equipment shall be listed and labeled per recognized electrical testing laboratory and
installed per the listing requirements and the manufacturer's instructions.
2.2
PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS
A. Manufacturers: Subject to compliance with requirements, provide products by one of the
following or preapproved alternate:
1. Itek Energy
2. SolarWorld
3. Silicon Energy
B. Provide equipment as specified on the drawings, or equipment of equal quality and
performance. Provide all accessories needed for a complete, secure, operational grid-tied PV
system.
C. PV modules shall be IEEE 1262 compliant and listed to UL Standard 1703.
D. The PV modules shall have the following physical properties as a minimum.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Module Dimensions: No larger than 72" x 48" .
Installed Wind Uplift Resistance: 140 mph Per ASCE 7.95.
Corrosive Atmosphere resistance (Salt Spray): UL 1703.
Impact Resistance: Safely withstand 2” diameter steel sphere dropped 51 inches,
UL1703.
5. Mechanical Loading: 43 lb/ft2 , 30 minutes, UL 1703.
6. Humidity: -40 Deg. C to 85 Deg. C, 85%RH 10 cycles, UL1703.
2.3
DC/AC MICROINVERTER
A. Available Manufacturers: Subject to compliance with requirements, manufacturers offering
products that may be incorporated into the Work include the following or preapproved
alternate:
B.
1. Enphase Energy
2. Blue Frog Solar
3. Power One
4. SMA
B. All microinverters shall be CEC approved and shall be utility interactive type.
C. The inverter[s] shall have the following physical properties as a minimum.
1. Nominal AC Voltage: 208 VAC, 60 Hz.
2. Peak Inverter Efficiency >95.0%.
3. Temperature Range Ambient: -25 Deg. C to +50 Deg. C.
4. Enclosure Environmental Rating NEMA 1.
5. Protective Functions:
a. Standard wakeup voltage.
b. Wakeup time delay.
c. Shut down power.
d. Shut down time delay.
e. AC over / under voltage and time delays.
f. AC over / under frequency and time delays.
g. Ground over current.
h. Over-temperature.
i.
j.
AC and DC over current.
DC over voltage.
D. All microinverters shall be IEEE 929 compliant, listed to UL Standard 1741.
E. The microinverter[s] shall automatically drop-off-line when normal utility power is lost to avoid
unintentional islanding effects. Drop-off to be activated by over-voltage (110%) and undervoltage (88%), and shall be adjustable. Frequency drifts outside 59.3 to 60.5 Hz for more
than 10 cycles shall also activate automatic drop-off. Automatic reconnection shall not occur
until the normal utility power has been stable for at least 60 seconds.
F. All electrical system equipment shall be properly rated to withstand and interrupt (in the case
of over current protection devices) the available fault current at the point of use.
G. The system shall be capable of operating between a power factor of 0.9 lagging to 0.9 leading.
H. All required overcurrent protection and electrical bussing sizes per NEC 690.
2.4
STRING COMBINERS
A. Groups of 25 microinverters will connect to one 3 pole 20A circuit breaker.
B. The 3 pole 20A circuit breakers will connect to one 200A all weather breaker box
C.
2.5
Listed to UL174/IEEE1547, Nema 4, sealed construction for rooftop mounting.
BALLASTED MOUNTING SYSTEM
A. Available Manufacturers: Subject to compliance with requirements, manufacturers offering
products that may be incorporated into the Work include the following or preapproved
alternate:
1. Solstice Manufacturing
2. Ecolibrium Solar
3. Panelclaw
B. Modules shall be ballasted mounted, angled to the roof surface, with appropriate racking
hardware and seismic structural attachments. Provide optimum plan, based on conceptual
Roof Plan. Entire system: panel, racks, mounts and ballast shall not exceed seven (7)
pounds per square foot.
C. Manufacturer Seismic Qualification Certification: Submit certification that array ballasting,
components and anchorage provisions are designed to remain in place without separation of
any parts when subjected to the seismic forces defined in Division 01 and ASCE Standards.
D. Any roof penetrations including seismic connection shall maintain existing Malarky Roof
Warranty. All mounts and ballast shall be protected by approved roof pad, either integral to
system, or applied prior to installation.
2.6
MONITORING (Stephanie to provide new info here for 2.6 A
A. A Data Acquisition and Monitoring System (DAS) shall be provided by the Owner as part of
the System. The system shall allow measurement, calculation, and display of:
1. System electrical functions including instantaneous and accumulated power output (
kWh), AC and DC system voltage and amperage, and peak value tracking with
associated time stamps.
a. Shark 100 meter with Ethernet capabilities.
B. The DAS shall include a data logger, modem for data retrieval, and all parts and sensors to
accurately measure the above specified data points.
2.7
WIRE AND CABLE
A. Conductors: Insulated copper, with minimum sizes as recommended by the connected device
manufacturer.
B. 120-V ac and Class 1 Signal and Control Circuits: Stranded single conductors in raceway of
size recommended by system manufacturer. Materials and installation requirements are
specified in the General Notes, see drawing sheet E1.1.
C. Classes 2 and 3 Signal and Control Circuits: Single conductor or twisted-pair cable,
unshielded, unless manufacturer recommends shielded cable.
D. Data Circuits: Category 6E minimum, unshielded, twisted-pair cable, unless manufacturer
recommends shielded cable in raceway of appropriate size where exposed.
E. Plenum Cable: Listed and labeled for use in air-handling spaces, plenums, and plenum
ceilings.
F. Conductor Color-Coding: Uniformly identified and coordinated with wiring diagrams.
PART 3 - EXECUTION
3.1
INSTALLATION
A. Photovoltaic system shall be interconnected with the utility grid per the requirements of NEC
Art.690-64 (b), Load Side Connection.
B. Mount system components with fastening methods and devices designed to resist the
seismic forces as provided in Division 01 and ASCE Standards.
C. All equipment, mounting assemblies and mounting devices shall be properly grounded per
the requirements of the National Electric Code, Article 250.
D. Wiring: Install 60-Hz wiring according to NFPA 70. Install data cable complying with TIA/EIA568-A. Install number of conductors recommended by system manufacturer for functions
indicated, and as follows:
1. Conceal wiring except in unfinished spaces.
2. Wiring Method: Install wiring in raceways
3. Wiring Method: Install wiring in raceways except for Classes 2 and 3 remote-control
and signaling circuits, as defined in NFPA 70.
4. Wiring Method: Install metal-clad cable except for Classes 2 and 3 remote-control
and signaling circuits, as defined in NFPA 70, if installed in accessible ceiling spaces
and hollow gypsum-board partitions, where unenclosed wiring method may be used.
Install listed plenum cable for Classes 2 and 3 wiring in environmental air spaces,
including plenum ceilings.
E. Wiring within Enclosures: Bundle, lace, and train conductors to terminal points with no
excess.
F. System Installation shall conform to Manufacturers Installation Manual and approved project
drawings and specifications.
G. All PV modules to be installed such that they are 100% free from shade between 9am and
3pm daily.
H. No dissimilar metals allowed to contact (use plastic or rubber washers).
I.
No aluminum in contact with concrete or masonry materials.
J.
An inverter backfeed disconnect shall be provided in a location that is less than 10 feet from
the electrical meter. Opening of this disconnect shall prevent all solar power sources on site
from backfeeding the grid.
K. All exterior equipment to be sunlight and UV resistant as well as rated for elevated
temperatures at which they are expected to operate (on roofs in hot sunlight).
L. Photovoltaic modules shall be interconnected using cable assemblies. The pigtails shall be
quick- connect electrical wiring connections rated for the application.
M. All circuits connected to more than one source shall have overcurrent devices located so as
to provide over current protection from all sources per NEC Article 690-9 (a).
N. Each array may have at least one terminal box, providing a watertight entry to the conduit
leading to the combiner box. The terminal box and combiner box can be one physical unit
O. Each set of building arrays shall have a DC combiner box, containing fuses and a bus to
combine the outputs of the strings as indicated on the drawings.
P. Shoring: The Contractor shall provide all permanent and temporary shoring, anchoring and
bracing required by the nature of this work in order to make all parts absolutely stable and
rigid, even when such shoring, anchoring and bracing are not explicitly called for.
Q. Support all work adequately and per code. All equipment shall be securely attached to the
building structure in an approved manner.
R. Cut no structural members. If equipment cannot be properly concealed, notify JR Fulton. Any
patching and cutting done as a result of error or neglect on the part of the Contractor shall be
done at the expense of the Contractor.
S. Contractor shall keep work areas in a clean and safe condition. Remove all equipment, tools,
vehicles, rubbish, waste and debris from the site upon completion of the job. The Contractor
shall pay all fees for recycling and disposal.
3.2
ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS
A. Make splices, taps, and terminations on numbered terminal strips in junction, pull and outlet
boxes, terminal cabinets, and equipment enclosures.
3.3
IDENTIFICATION
A. Comply with drawings and requirements of the NEC
B. Color-code wire and apply wire and cable marking tape to designate wires and cables so they
are uniformly identified and coordinated with wiring diagrams throughout the system.
C. Provide labels per NEC Article 690-17 and Article 690-53. The PV backfeed sub-panel and all
breakers contained in it and the PV system disconnect shall be clearly labeled.
3.4
FIELD QUALITY CONTROL
A. Testing Agency: The Owner shall engage a qualified commissioning agent to perform tests
and inspections and commission the system.
C. The Contractor shall notify the Project Manager a minimum of 5 days before closing in of tobe concealed work so that an Owner’s representative may inspect the work.
D. Testing to be performed per CPUC Electric Rule 21 testing procedures and requirements.
E. All testing to be done on "no-cloud" days to avoid system fluctuation by passing clouds.
F. Perform the following field adjustments, tests, inspections and prepare test reports:
1. Before starting or operating the system Contractor shall check continuity of all
conductors and grounding conductors to verify that there are no faults and that all
equipment has been properly installed. Check factory instructions to see that
installations have been made accordingly. Check equipment for any damage that
may have occurred during shipment, after delivery, or during installation. Repair
damaged equipment or replace with new equipment of like kind.
2. Before starting or operating the system Contractor shall obtain a final inspection
approval from the Building Department and a final inspection approval from Seattle
City Light. Contractor shall be present on site for both of these inspections.
3. Once Building Department and Seattle City Light final approvals have been received,
Contractor shall test all equipment to ensure specified capacity and performance of
the system. The Contractor shall notify the Owner a minimum of 5 days prior to the
test.
4. PV Module Test: During the daytime while the sun is shining on the PV array,
measure the output current of each sub-array.
5. Perform startup checks for all equipment per manufacturer’s written instructions.
6. Contractor shall make final adjustments to all inverters and monitoring equipment in
accordance with the specified system operation and the manufacturer’s
recommendations so that they will be placed in an acceptable operating condition.
Adjustable parameters shall be set so that the PV system will produce the maximum
possible amount of energy on an annual basis
7. Verify that controls are properly labeled and interconnecting wires and terminals are
identified.
G. Remove and replace malfunctioning units and retest as specified above.
H. Test Reports to be included in O&M Manual: Prepare a written report to record the following:
1. Output current readings from PV Module Test.
3.5
DEMONSTRATION
A. Provide a complete walk-through and training service for the PV system
1. Train Owners’s maintenance personnel and student team on procedures and
schedules for starting and stopping, troubleshooting, servicing, and maintaining
equipment.
a. Provide 4 hours of training prior to completion, during installation of the
project.
b. Provide 4 hours of training 30 days after substantial completion.
2. Schedule training with Owner with at least seven days’ advance notice
B. Engage a factory-authorized service representative to train Owner's maintenance personnel
to adjust, operate, and maintain Photovoltaic system components. Refer to Section 01 7700
"Closeout Procedures"
END OF SECTION