Morning All

I have been landed with a large solar farm project. All the inverter buildings have been wired to continental standards, i.e. round pin sockets so no polarity. I have been informed that this is ok, as the system belongs to the network suppliers.

How can it therefore be certified to BS7671?

Could anyone elaborate?

Regards

Jobbo

Well, 553.1.100 gives yoiu the starting point - I guess no one lives in the inverter shacks and it ain't household or similar either

from there 553.1.5 (iii) (very obliquely0 would allow Schuko's or similar to be used.

The fact that it belongs to a network supplier is a red herring i think

The key point I suspect is that of the owner/operator being happy with Schukos - it's going to be a bugger to provide all those adaptors or to deliberatly select appliances with non UK pattern plugs within the UK - how are they going to manage safety, and the challenge is 2has the designer met his obligations under CDM - this is a workplace and he may not have designed a safe solution

regards

OMS

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Failure is always an option

Why would the UK want you do certain things? Some states in the US let you get paid for putting electricy into electric system any where in the state.










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OMS

Sorry for delay in replying, was a long day yesterday!

I had an engineer on site yesterday gathering information, it's not as bad as I initially visualised. Each of the buildings have been wired by a Spanish contractor. Not sure how it fits in with our harmonised document, but no major issues. From what I've been told its been wired in PVC conduit from Legrand double pole circuit breakers, with a CPC run to sockets only, everything else Class II. (usual lighting and sockets same circuit configuration).

The inverters houses contain HV/LV switchgear and transformers, so restricted to authorised persons only. The client has advised that training will be given to operatives prior to access to the site, so I guess they have covered safe working procedures. HV and LV systems are segregated by large shields from what I'm told.

I suggested changing the sockets to BS1363 for the obvious benefits, but they are reluctant for some reasons. Perhaps they will be using foreign equipments

It's a very interesting project, had a lesson in G59 yesterday, which is something new to me

Regards

Jobbo

OK - well it's probably worth you having a quick canter through 412 et seq - issues such as labels and being certain of the nature of effective supervision would be UK requirements derived from the IEC documents. Note the last sentence of 412.1.3

Other than that, Carlos the Spark does most things the same way that the UK does, except he smokes Ducados not Benson & Hedges and enjoys a "flexible" lunch break

G59 - such fun - whilst you still have the will to live, take a look at G59/1 and the newer G59/2 and brush up a little on such aspects as "rate of change of frequency - ROCOF" and "vector shift"

Have you found the input coupler where they plug in the dirty great diesel genset to "help out" when the array is "underperforming the capital recovery potential" - - I kid you not - although not in the UK

regards

OMS

-------------------------
Failure is always an option

Well this morning is going well, they have installed a step up 20kVa TX 280-400 for a 75kVa load (small lighting and power services for whole site). So many parties, no communication. Makes the job a challenge tho, the day goes quick

It does appear that the Spanish are accustom to up front 30mA Rcds, there everywhere

Cheers

Jobbo

BS7671 does not apply to DNO's/netork operators so I assume if they are providing meters then maybe the installation is on the network side of the suppliers service delivery point !!!!

I'm not sure the above comment is correct, the installation is not part of the distribution network therefore it will fall under BS7671 as in my opinion it is an installation that is auxiliary to the network.