Under the roof – why quality connections matter in the rapidly growing commercial PV sector
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Posted by: Melanie
The commercial solar PV market is booming, as falling installation costs, energy security concerns and the need to meet sustainability targets drive global demand. To continue this upward trajectory, the PV industry needs to ensure what’s under the roof is as impressive as what’s on top of it with high quality, well-designed installations that deliver reliable, faultless solar solutions. Joe Collison of UK based solar installation company CES explains:
The latest data from the MCS shows that the UK now has over 150,000 commercial solar installations, as the nation’s push to reach net zero by 2050 gathers momentum. This figure will only get higher over the coming years as more businesses realise the cost and sustainability benefits of solar PV.
But as more installation companies enter the market to capitalise on the boom, there is a real danger that the quality of design and installation goes down – and that’s something which reflects negatively on the industry as a whole, particularly if solar technologies are seen as underperforming because they have been poorly specified or fitted.
To ensure industry standards remain consistently good, there are a number of elements installation businesses need to tick off to deliver a high-quality, high-performing installation:
- Research & Design
A quality installation starts with diligent research and informed designs. Solar installations are complex, not ‘plug and play’ jobs, and there’s an awful lot which can go wrong, particularly in larger commercial installations which can range from 50kW up to 1MW and beyond. And the same is true whether you are installing a system in a new build or a retrofit application.
The first step to getting it right under the roof is the sizing as the system needs to deliver sufficient power. Too small and the customer will not only be disappointed in their return on investment, but they will also quickly outgrow it. Sizing calculations should always take into account a business’ future plans – are they planning on switching to air source heat pumps, fitting a bank of EV chargers or purchasing other electrical equipment which will require power? If yes, the panels and system must be designed with both current and future needs in mind.
As well as an opportunity to get to know the client during the briefing stage, visiting the installation site in person is a must. Looking at photos of a roof won’t give you all the information you need to design what’s going on under the roof or what’s going on in the areas around the building nor does it show you any potential problems that you may encounter during the installation. We believe a holistic approach works best, looking at the whole site to design the right solution for the job.
- Connections & Distribution
A solar PV system does not exist in a vacuum, and must work as part of the wider site’s distribution network and infrastructure. There are a number of options available to customers, which each have different design and equipment considerations.
While many businesses now opt for a battery storage system to store excess power for later use, attractive tariffs and balancing payments are enticing many people to consider a bidirectional grid connection where they can import and export power.
If the PV panels are to power a decentralised energy centre (DEC), with no intake from mains power, the system will need to be designed with a series of batteries, inverters and charging units to create a grid forming supply system. In the UK, the cost and wait times for grid connections are high and long, so a DEC is an increasingly popular option – particularly for high energy users.
- Equipment specification
Between the panels and the inverter there is a lot of kit including isolators and protective devices, which are highly regulated and each one needs to be rated correctly if it is going to do its job properly.
One of the most common issues we see on installs is protective device errors. If protective devices aren’t calculated correctly, it will inevitably cause a fault where a circuit is overloaded from drawing too much power from the solar panel inverter and the grid intake at the same time. Electrical faults are dangerous and disruptive.
- Early consultation
With so many factors to consider to get the installation right, our advice is always to bring your solar installation team in during the design stages, as it pays dividends to consider the electrification aspect from the beginning of the project whether it’s a new build or retrofit application.
The benefits of this are many – it is more cost effective, there is less crossover with other trades, and it streamlines the process. Ultimately, approaching installations in this way delivers high quality and well considered designs.
In conclusion
If we are to continue to encourage businesses to make the switch to solar, we as an industry need to be delivering installations that operate at their best and fully meet the customers’ needs. It isn’t enough to have the most advanced and reliable equipment. Being able to transpose that technology into unique, complex real-world applications is the real secret ingredient for success, and that takes skilled, experienced electrical engineers who fully understand the complete ecosystem of a solar solution.