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Sean White teaches solar classes and seminars around the world. He attempts to slightly humor you while learning and to not talk over your head. This podcast contains an assortment of topics, with an emphasis on technical solar knowledge.
Episodes
Wednesday Oct 05, 2022
Wednesday Oct 05, 2022
Wednesday Sep 21, 2022
Wednesday Sep 21, 2022
Rapid Shutdown has traditionally meant putting module level power electronics in the array for PV systems on buildings. There has always been this part of the NEC 690.12(B)(2)(1) that gave you an option to comply with rapid shutdown inside the array with a listed hazard control system. Surprisingly, we can now go back to having something to what rapid shutdown used to be in the 2014 NEC, which we called array level rapid shutdown. Let’s see if someone gets something like this listed for a residential roof.
Links:
To see a visual version, take these classes at www.HeatSpring.com/sean
40-Hour NABCEP Advanced PV Certification Training and CEUS
30-Hour NABCEP Advanced PV Certification Training and CEUS
2020 NEC PV, Energy Storage, Building and Fire Codes for PV System Inspectors
Thursday Sep 08, 2022
Thursday Sep 08, 2022
- We can now say string! Before it was a PV source circuit (and it still is).
- Floatovoltaics: Yes we have mention of special requirements for floating PV, which sort of reminds me of my and Bill's Sailboat. Now you can put boating on your PV resume.
- I describe some images so you can get the audio version of the visual, which is good brain exercise and prevents alzheimers
Wednesday Jul 20, 2022
Wednesday Jul 20, 2022
Show Notes From Clean Power Hour:
Get a 15% discount to attend Midwest Solar Expo with discount code: CPH15. www.MidwestSolarExpo.com/, the premier B2B solar and clean energy event in the region.
As innovation in solar chugs along and consumer perception climbs and falls, one thing is true. New terminology – with accompanying acronyms – appears almost daily right now in solar industry. From “solar economics” to “virtual power plants (VPP) ” to “frequency regulation” and “vehicle to grid (V2G),” these terms are the future of solar. And solar is climbing high.
Sean White is an award-winning solar photovoltaic (PV) professor, master trainer, solar contractor and author of several books, including Solar Photovoltaic Basics, Solar PV Engineering and Installation, PV Technical Sales, PV and the NEC and Energy Storage Basics.
On this episode of Clean Power Hour, Sean joins Tim to talk about important milestones in the history of solar technology from its inception in the 1950’s to its maturity today. They discuss solar energy storage, bidirectional car batteries, self-consumption systems, V2G, VPPs, getting to cash positive, plus details on important upcoming industry conferences.
Listen in to bring that expertise to the forefront to tackle any business challenge, hire new talent, acquire new business and so much more.
Key Takeaways
Milestones in PV cell development from its invention in 1954 to one gigawatt installed worldwide in 2000 to one terawatt installed worldwide in 2022
How the price adoption curve has played a major role in the solar industry
How battery size and availability introduce the new frontier of solar: “solar plus storage”
Why California has half of solar energy production and its likely status-change to a “self-consumption system” in the very near future
Sean’s predicted boom of self-consumption systems and how the “price is right” for bidirectional batteries in electric vehicles
The essential missing piece that is the main barrier to V2G technology
Which mainstream car company is actively working on a V2G-ready car
How solar energy will become economical in 5-10 years
Why energy storage can assist with “frequency regulation” (injecting extra power into the grid or holding back when necessary)
How the “solar coaster” came to be and why solar could be the next massive money-maker
How utilities pushing back sends consumers migrating off grid
Connect with Sean
Connect with Tim
Email tgmontague@gmail.com
Review Clean Power Hour on Apple Podcasts
Resources
RE+ Southeast Conference, May 11-12, 2022
Re+ Conference, September 19-22, 2022
InterSolar North America Conference, February 14-16, 2023
The Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Please subscribe on your favorite audio platform and on Youtube: bit.ly/cph-sub | www.CleanPowerHour.com | contact us by email: CleanPowerHour@gmail.com | Speeding the energy transition!
Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
Some of the areas of the NEC that we cover in this podcast are:
NEC Article 702 Optional Standby Systems, Load Control, Disconnecting Means, UL 1741 for Power Control Systems, 706.15 Location Control for 1 and 2-family Dwellings
Quotes: Bill Brooks (soon to be famous quotes).
“Tesla, Enphase, SolarEdge, are all getting listed as energy management systems.”
“You will damage most generators if you run out of fuel under load.”
“Hey Siri, turn off my ESS.”
“Here’s what happened in the 2023 Code.”
“706.15 Location Control for 1- and 2-Family Dwellings, an ESS shall include an emergency shutdown function to cease the export of power from the ESS to the premises wiring of other systems.”
“You could have a device that could have rapid shutdown and ESS emergency shutdown” “you could use the same switch”
This is a recording of part of an NEC workshop at the Intersolar 2022 conference at the Long Beach California Convention Center in January 2022.
The workshop was titled:
Energy Storage, PV and the NEC.
Bill Brooks is instrumental in the process of coming up with material for the NEC for renewable energy systems, especially for solar, energy storage and interconnections. Although the 2023 NEC has not been finalized or published, this is as good of a preview as you can get for knowing what the future will bring. Many manufacturers, engineers, CEOs and other decisionmakers can make better informed decisions about the future, knowing what will be in the National Electrical Code.
Bill Brooks is on NEC Code Making Panel 4 (the alternative energy panel) and has been perhaps the most active member of the PV Industry Forum, which is where new material for the NEC for Solar PV, Energy Storage and Interconnections are made. Bill has been working on Codes and Standards for 34 years. Bill Brooks and Sean White also published the book PV and the NEC.
Note: This podcast was recorded on an iPhone 13 and to my surprise the recording quality was way better than expected, so we decided to podcast it!
WARNING: Bill Brooks and Sean White sometimes think they are funny. If you disagree with this and do not like dad jokes, do not listen to this podcast.
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
Some of the areas of the NEC that we cover in this podcast are:
Ground Fault Protection, Ground Fault Detection and interruption (GFDI) term clarified (not to be confused with GFCI), 690.45 Equipment Grounding Conductors (EGC) includes DC and AC not having to increase size of EGC when upsizing current carrying conductor for voltage drop (now also applies to AC PV and modifies NEC 250.122), 250.122 EGC sized based on OCPD, Microgrid Interconnect Device (MID), Interactive Mode vs. Voltage Mode, putting multiple inverters prior to the first OCPD, 705.13 Power Control Systems (PCS) was changed to Energy Management Systems (EMS), EMS was previously just for loads, Tesla Powerwall, PCS is not the part of the EMS that is controlling sources, Batteries as Source and Load, EVs Article 625, and more!
Quotes: Bill Brooks (soon to be famous quotes).
“Changes in size for voltage drop do not have to increase the size of the equipment grounding conductor”
“It’s penalizing you for doing the right thing” Bill on 250.122 upsizing the EGC for voltage drop."
“All we’ve done is we’ve taken the microgrid interconnect device and stuck it inside the inverter” Bill on multimode inverter with 2 AC outputs."
“We could have a system that was 50kW going into a 100A service.”
“We have large systems right now, that have a 5MW interconnection that have a 30 PV array on them.”
“You can run a 400A feed to a large EV charging area, you can put 20 cars on it.” “The controller would never allow you to draw more than 400A.”
“You have a controller that prevents the conductors from receiving too much current.”
“At the end of the day, the NEC is all about safety. It’s all about, we do not burn buildings down with correctly installed electrical equipment.”
This is a recording of part of an NEC workshop at the Intersolar 2022 conference at the Long Beach California Convention Center in January 2022.
The workshop was titled:
Energy Storage, PV and the NEC.
Bill Brooks is instrumental in the process of coming up with material for the NEC for renewable energy systems, especially for solar, energy storage and interconnections. Although the 2023 NEC has not been finalized or published, this is as good of a preview as you can get for knowing what the future will bring. Many manufacturers, engineers, CEOs and other decisionmakers can make better informed decisions about the future, knowing what will be in the National Electrical Code.
Bill Brooks is on NEC Code Making Panel 4 (the alternative energy panel) and has been perhaps the most active member of the PV Industry Forum, which is where new material for the NEC for Solar PV, Energy Storage and Interconnections are made. Bill has been working on Codes and Standards for 34 years. Bill Brooks and Sean White also published the book PV and the NEC.
Note: This podcast was recorded on an iPhone 13 and to my surprise the recording quality was way better than expected, so we decided to podcast it!
WARNING: Bill Brooks and Sean White sometimes think they are funny. If you disagree with this and do not like dad jokes, do not listen to this podcast.
Tuesday May 17, 2022
Tuesday May 17, 2022
Bill Brooks is instrumental in the process of coming up with material for the NEC for renewable energy systems, especially for solar, energy storage and interconnections. Although the 2023 NEC has not been finalized or published, this is as good of a preview as you can get for knowing what the future will bring. Many manufacturers, engineers, CEOs and other decisionmakers can make better informed decisions about the future, knowing what will be in the National Electrical Code.
Bill Brooks is on NEC Code Making Panel 4 (the alternative energy panel) and has been perhaps the most active member of the PV Industry Forum, which is where new material for the NEC for Solar PV, Energy Storage and Interconnections are made. Bill has been working on Codes and Standards for 34 years. Bill Brooks and Sean White also published the book PV and the NEC.
Some of the areas of the NEC that we cover in this podcast are:
NEC Article 100 Definitions. All definitions moving to article 100 (no more 690.2 definitions), Electronic Power Converter, Electronic Transformer, Inverter Definition, PV Hazard Control UL 3741, Rapid Shutdown, 690.4, 690.12, NEC 750 Energy Management Systems (EMS), NEC 705.13 Power Control Systems (PCS), Net-Metering 3.0 Protest, NEC 712 DC Microgrids removed from the NEC and you use 705, PV String Circuits (strings now in NEC for first time), PV Output Circuit removed, PV System Output Circuit, Recombiner (Bill is not fond of this term), Paralleling Circuits in Harnesses, First Solar Modules, 2023 NEC PV Source Circuits go into and out of DC Combiner, String Circuit is series only (not parallel), DC-to-DC Converter Circuit, Wild PV, PV System Disconnect, 690.15 reorganized, Locking Requirements, Ground Fault Protection, Ground Fault Detection and interruption (GFDI) term clarified (not to be confused with GFCI), 690.45 Equipment Grounding Conductors (EGC) includes DC and AC not having to increase size of EGC when upsizing current carrying conductor for voltage drop (now also applies to AC).
Quotes: Bill Brooks (soon to be famous quotes).
“When you see a change in the Code, it does not mean that the requirements change.”
“90% of changes in the Code are not changes in requirements”
“We will never make a Code that will be clear to everyone”
“Codes are using text to convey fairly complex concepts to the public”
“Energy Management Systems (EMS) was unified with other parts of the Code”
“NEC Code Making Panel 4 is referred to now as the alternative energy panel”
“They’re putting maintenance requirements into a construction code”
“We got PV string circuits into the NEC”
“SolarEdge can put 100 PV modules on a Circuit”
This is a recording of part of an NEC workshop at the Intersolar 2022 conference at the Long Beach California Convention Center in January 2022.
The workshop was titled:
Energy Storage, PV and the NEC.
Note: This podcast was recorded on an iPhone 13 and to my surprise the recording quality was way better than expected, so we decided to podcast it!
WARNING: Bill Brooks and Sean White sometimes think they are funny. If you disagree with this and do not like dad jokes, do not listen to this podcast.
Tuesday Mar 08, 2022
Tuesday Mar 08, 2022
Keith Cronin: Solar MBA instructor on HeatSpring!
Keith sold his Hawaii solar company Island Energy Solutions to Jigar Shaw of SunEdison in 2007 after knowing Jigar since 2002.
Keith has been teaching his Solar MBA class for just over a decade with co-instructor and attorney Chris Lord. They have taught many students, including oil and gas refugees.
Keith Cronin does consulting via his company Sun Hedge with clients all over the world, including the Department of Defense. He has lived in many different countries throughout his solar career.
Listening to this podcast will give you insight into the process for developing large solar projects and systems to run your growing business.
Final wise words from Keith Cronin:
- Fail more quickly
- Stumble ahead
- Don’t be afraid
- Ask questions
- Learn from others and you’ll be glad you did!
Click here to find out more about Keith Cronin’s classes!
Make sure to stop by www.SolarSEAN.com for a life altering experience! Knowledge is power and power times time is energy!
Thanks,
Sean
Wednesday Jan 19, 2022
Wednesday Jan 19, 2022
Wednesday Dec 15, 2021
Wednesday Dec 15, 2021