Chapter 3 of 628% of exam

PV System Installation and Commissioning

At 28 percent, PV installation and commissioning is the largest section: basic PV systems, energy storage, the utility interface, stand-alone systems, labeling, and testing. The PrepPass CSLB C-46 Solar Study Guide covers this area in depth, with worked examples and a chapter quiz.

From array to service

Listed equipment, DC wiring in metal inside buildings, disconnects, rapid shutdown and the point of interconnection.

Rapid shutdown
30 V within 30 seconds outside the array boundary; 80 V within 30 seconds inside it.
2022 CEC 690.12 (City of Berkeley checklist)
Busbar rule
125% of inverter output current plus the main breaker may not exceed 120% of the busbar, with the PV breaker at the opposite end.
California Solar Permitting Guidebook
Arc-fault protection
Required for PV systems at 80 volts DC or more.
2022 CEC 690.11 (City of Berkeley checklist)

Labels

Labels tell responders what is energized and how to shut it off.

Raceway label
"WARNING: PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SOURCE" — reflective, white capitals at least 3/8 inch on red, no more than 10 feet apart.
2022 CEC 690.31 (City of Berkeley checklist)
Service directory
A plaque showing every power source disconnect, marked "CAUTION: MULTIPLE SOURCES OF POWER."
2022 CEC 705.10

Storage, grid and commissioning

Residential storage has location and size limits; grid-tied inverters must not backfeed a dead grid.

ESS limits
UL 9540 listed; 20 kWh per unit; 40 or 80 kWh by location; 3 feet between units (2022 CRC R328, now R330).
County of Lake excerpt; County of San Diego PDS 081S
Backfeed
No source may send power beyond the premises wiring without positive means to prevent it, unless the utility authorized it.
Cal/OSHA Title 8 section 2320.9
Testing
Open-circuit voltage, current and I-V curve tests find DC faults monitoring misses.
NREL O&M Best Practices

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