Electrical Connection Winter 2016

52 E L EC TR I C AL CONNEC T I ON

W I N T E R 20 1 6

calculations and material costings.

A detailed design provides the

installation ‘road map’ – site layout

plan drawings, string layout drawings,

elevations, inverter station drawings,

electrical drawings, protection and

zero export schematics, and a bill

of materials.

In addition, a detailed report

explains the design choices and

installation methodology.

An installer can safely follow these

drawings knowing the system will meet

the CEC, Australian Standards and best

practice guidelines.

The GSES design report also complies

with the DNSP document requirements

and can be submitted alongside an

application to connect.

High-quality system designs should

contain the elements set out below.

Site assessment

–

Roof structure,

roof obstacles, building height, shading,

roof type, access and existing electrics.

An assessment can be conducted by

the engineering consultant or by the

installer. When the latter is used, the

consultant provides questionnaires

and forms to the installer to ensure

adequate information transfer.

A site assessment is essential for

completion of the system design.

Plan view diagrams –

Module layout,

module spacing on roof, row spacing,

shading, purlin spacing, and feet and

rail spacing.

System design calculations –

Number

of modules in series and parallel; cable,

isolator and circuit breaker sizes;

maximum power point (MPPT) tracking

configurations; inverter inputs; and

system protection requirements.

Bill of materials –

This is based on

the design drawings and schematics,

allowing the quantities of all major and

minor components to be defined.

String layout and electrical wiring

drawing –

Highlights the module

strings, method of connection and

cable run locations in roof space,

conduit and cable tray.

Financial analyses –

Consumption

data and predicted system yield

information will allow for accurate

calculation of system return

and savings.

CONCLUSION

The system design process and

documentation allows installers to

visualise the installation.

They can then anticipate and

mitigate any issues and provide

accurate data on performance and

financial return to the customer.

The information offers potential for

installation cost savings by reducing

materials requirements and time to

completion, thereby improving margins

for installers.

GSES offers engineering consulting

services, including feasibility studies,

system design, tender preparation and

evaluation, commissioning, inspection

and performance review services.

> GSES

www.gses.com.au

Data from an interval analysis of the comparison of consumption and generation data

collected using a power analyser or interval meter.

Single Line Diagram (SLD) depicts the electrical connections between the PV array,

inverter, electrical protection equipment and MPPTs.