installing renewable energy
- Thread starter -marty
- Start date
- Status
mdshunk
Senior Member
- Location
- Right here.
Depends on the laws in your state. Since this sort of work is covered under the NEC, and if your state licenses those who do electrical work, it is probably safe to say that you need to be a licensed person to install the electrical portion of your proposed projects. Some of the things you mention, like wind power, are substantially "construction", the lion's share of which could be done by anyone. Once you get down to things connected by wires, that's where an electrician should come on the scene.
Mark not so sure that is true. I do some solar PV work, and tower construction projects and it is not simple as just doing it. It takes a structural engineer and enviromental impact studies to stand up a tower to ensure public safety. Sam goes for solar PV systems installed on residential and commercial properties, a structural engineer has to sigh off on it, go throught th ebuilding permit process not to mention your insurance company has something to say about it.mdshunk said:
petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
- Occupation
- engineer
The OP asked "Can anyone install renewable energy (solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, and inverters) or must one be an ec"?dereckbc said:
My personal opinion is that an EC should indeed install this type of equipment, as it is electrical in nature. I don't see that a wind turbine tower is much different than a light pole, and ECs install them.
The design side of things is indeed another story.
The truth is that very few ECs know enough about these kind of systems to be installing them.
Last edited:
mdshunk
Senior Member
- Location
- Right here.
Engineering is necessarily involved with lots of construction projects, but after that's all squared away, it doesn't necessarily involve licensed people to construct the lion's share of the work. That's all I was trying to say. Might take some people with special skills, but they could be "anyone".dereckbc said:
27hillcrest
Senior Member
I am taking a PV class now and most of the students in the class are not electricians. A couple roofers a few engineers a few higher ED students. The teacher has been installing PV systems for about 12 years and really know his stuff. He has any electrician on staff to pull the permits and do the final terminations. The installation is quite easy it's the system design that is very very involved.
I have installed PV for the last three years, and it requires a potpourri of trade knowledge.
Here in CA, an EC (C-10) may install PV systems, but there is a Solar licence (C-43)but it mostly covers the Solar heating systems (H20 panels). I work for a GC, so when I install systems on his jobs, nobody needs to be specialized, a GC license covers that just fine. These jobs are strickly residential.
Here in CA, an EC (C-10) may install PV systems, but there is a Solar licence (C-43)but it mostly covers the Solar heating systems (H20 panels). I work for a GC, so when I install systems on his jobs, nobody needs to be specialized, a GC license covers that just fine. These jobs are strickly residential.
- Status