How to evaluate the safety of household solar photovoltaic power generation systems?

The safety of a household solar system can be evaluated from the perspective of the following:

1. Equipment Quality and Certification

 Solar Panels

Quality Standards: The compliance of the panels with standards put forward by the International Electrotechnical Commission shall be checked, such as IEC 61215 and IEC 61646. High-quality panels should be able to operate stably in various environmental conditions and resist wind pressure, hail, and corrosion well.

Certification Marks: You can check whether the product has relevant certification marks, such as UL (Underwriters Laboratories) certification, TÜV (Technischer Überwachungsverein) certification, CE (Conformité Européene) certification, etc. These certification marks indicate that the product has gone through stern testing and evaluation and meet particular safety standards.

Manufacturer’s Reputation: You can learn about the manufacturer’s reputation by searching online, consulting industry professionals, and referring to other users.

 Inverters

Function and Performance: The performance indices of the inverters should be conversion efficiency, output power stability, and harmonic distortion, which can reflect the performance of the inverters. In this context, an efficient inverter contributes to raising the power generation of the system, reducing energy losses, and eliminating interference to the power grid.

Safety Protection Functions: Overvoltage, overcurrent, short-circuit, and anti-islanding protection are some of the multiple safety functions an inverter should be equipped with. Such protection functions will help prevent system failure and protect equipment safety.

 Certification and Compatibility: Ensure the marks for certification correspond to the local power grid regulations and compatibility with solar panels.

 Mounting Brackets and Accessories

Material Strength: The mounting bracket should be manufactured from robust materials, like aluminum alloy or stainless steel, which are able to bear the solar panel weight and resist wind forces. Check if the structural design of the bracket is appropriate and the connection parts firm.

-Corrosion Resistance: Considering the installation environment and climate, choose brackets and accessories with good corrosion resistance. In humid coastal areas, using corrosion-resistant materials can extend the service life of the system.

-Grounding and Lightning Protection: Pay attention to the grounding during the installation of mounting brackets and other metal parts in order to avoid lightning striking and accumulation of static electricity. The installation of lightning rods or lightning arresters and other lightning protection equipment can enhance the safety of the system.

1. Installation Process and Standards

 Professional Installation

Installation Team Qualifications: An installation team should be chosen with professional qualifications. The installers should have the relevant knowledge and skills and be familiar with the installation process and safety standards of solar photovoltaic power generation systems. You can ask the installation company to provide you with proof materials like qualification certificates and employee training records.

-Installation Scheme Design: Before installation, the installation team should conduct on-site surveys and formulate detailed installation plans. The installation plan should consider factors such as the building structure, roof load-bearing capacity, sunlight conditions, and electrical wiring to ensure the safe and reliable installation of the system.

-Standards and Regulations: The whole installation process shall be conducted in accordance with the relevant national and local standards and regulations, such as “Code for Loads of Building Structures” and “Code for Construction and Acceptance of Grounding Devices of Electrical Installation Engineering”. Read the installation manual of solar photovoltaic power generation system and recommendations of the manufacturer carefully.

 Electrical Connections

-Wiring Standardization: Electrical wiring should be neat and standardized, and wires and cables meeting the standards should be used.

-Reliable Connection: The parts of the electrical connection should be firm and reliable, and special connectors and terminals should be used. Clean the connection surfaces before connection to ensure good electrical conductivity. Heat-shrinkable tubes or insulating tapes can be used for insulation treatment for important connection parts to improve safety.

Identification and Labels: Electrical lines and equipment shall be clearly identified and labeled with parameters like voltage, current, power, etc., and warnings and precautions to enable the users/maintenance personnel to correctly operate/maintain the system without occurrence of safety accidents.

 Waterproofing of Roof Structure

-Roof Assessment: Before the installation of photovoltaic panels, assess the structure of the roof with respect to its load-carrying capacity and stability, and reinforcement and protection shall be carried out accordingly.

III. System Operation and Maintenance

 Monitoring and Alarm System

Function and Reliability: An on-site monitoring system will be installed for on-site real-time monitoring of the operating status of the solar photovoltaic power generation system, including power generation, voltage, current, temperature, etc. The monitoring system shall have an alarm function. When abnormal situations occur in the system, it can issue alarms in a timely manner to notify users and maintenance personnel.

-Remote Monitoring: Systems supporting remote monitoring enable users to check the operating status of the system any time and from any location using mobile phones, computers, and other terminals. In addition, maintenance personnel may perform fault diagnosis and repairs using remote monitoring.

 Regular Maintenance and Inspection

-Maintenance Plan: Draw up a regular maintenance plan to check and maintain the solar photovoltaic power generation system. The contents of maintenance include cleaning the surface of solar panels, checking electrical connections, testing the performance of inverters, and checking lightning protection and grounding.

Professional Maintenance: If the users do not have professional electrical knowledge and skills, they can entrust the professional maintenance companies to conduct regular maintenance. The maintenance company should possess the corresponding qualification and experience and maintain the quality of maintenance services.

 Children’s Safety Education: If there are children at home, particular attention should be paid to the children’s safety education. Inform them not to touch the solar panels, inverters, and other equipment so as to avoid electric shock accidents.

1. Other safety consideration factors

 Fire Risk

-Prevention of Fire: Electrical equipment in a solar photovoltaic power generation system can also cause fires. Install fire alarms and fire extinguishers, among other firefighting equipment. Moreover, the surroundings of the system should be cleaned regularly, with piling of flammable items avoided altogether.

Electrical Isolation: Consider electrical isolation to prevent fire propagation within the system during design and installation. The usage of fire-resistant cables, isolation transformers, and other equipment will enhance the safety of the system.

 Risk of Electric Shock

-Protection Measures: There exists the danger of electric shock from electrical equipment in the solar photovoltaic power generation system. This mandates the use of leakage protectors, grounding fault circuit breakers, and other protection equipment to reduce the risks of electric shock.

-Safety Signs: Install safety signs in noticeable positions of the system, to make every relevant person aware of paying attention to the risk of electric shock. The signs should be marked with warning words, icons, and other easily understandable and identifiable contents.

 Environmental Impact

-Environmental Protection Materials: Environmental protection materials, like lead-free and cadmium-free materials for photovoltaic panels. For inverters, select high efficiency and energy-saving ones to reduce the consumption of energy and lower carbon dioxide emissions.

-Sustainable Development: Select equipment that has a longer service life and is highly efficient. Feeding the extra Electricity back to the power grid to share energy and achieve a sustainable utilization of resources can also be considered.