National Electrical Code Changes in 2014 for Photovoltaics:
Processes, Critical Industry Consensus Topics and Impacts
Ward Bower
Ward Bower Innovations LLC; Albuquerque, NM 87111, USA
ABSTRACT — Most technical challenges that have emerged
for safe photovoltaic (PV) systems are addressed with new
installation requirements in the 2014 National Electrical
Code® (NEC®). The recent cycle for updates to the NEC
has been completed. Collaborative efforts among industry
experts and focused groups including the US DOE
industry forum, Solar Energy Industry Association
(SEIA), and Solar ABCs resulted in consensus, and
extensive technically-responsible updates for the 2014NEC
for PV Systems. New firefighter safety and fault detection
language was added as was updated system
interconnection requirements. Details of those changes
and new efforts to write proposals for 2017NEC are
presented. Impacts of major changes and needs for
further changes to the 2017NEC are presented.
Index Terms — Safe PV Installations, PV System Installation,
Fault Detection, Fire Safety, System Interconnection, Grounding,
Wiring, Rapid Shutdown
I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
Recent work associated with the National Electrical Code®
(NEC®) has taken on both proactive and reactive roles. The
2014NEC Articles 690 and 705 proposals for updates came
primarily from: the Solar Energy Industries Association, the
DOE PV Industry Forum in collaboration with Solar ABCs,
Standards Groups including Nationally Recognized Test
Laboratories (NRTL), Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) standards working groups, National Fire
Protection Association (NFPA) Firefighters Task Group,
Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), PV manufacturers, PV
installers and individuals.
The NEC is a consensus document that encourages input
from all sectors of technology and trades communities.[1] It is
revised every three years. Article 690 for Solar Photovoltaic
Systems was introduced to the NEC in 1984. The National
Electrical Code (NEC) is adopted by all 50 states. It is
adopted as each state, or in some cases local jurisdictions,
legislate it into law.[2]
II. THE NEC AND RELATIONSHIPS TO OTHER STANDARDS
The NEC is written as a guide for the SAFE installation of
electrical components, wiring and systems. It relies on a
multitude of related standards, listings and certifications and
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the testing and analysis associated with commercializing the
products. Almost every component, assembly, wire, and
housing that is used in electrical installations subject to the
NEC has been tested, analyzed and approved by another
organization.
Other electrical standards and building codes that influence
PV installations compliance with the NEC include:
• IEEE and ANSI standards for batteries and installations
• ANSI and American Society for Testing and Materials
• IEEE and ANSI standards for the numerous components
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Std C2
• International Electrotechnical Commission,
• National Electrical Safety Code,
• International and local Building Codes
A commonly-used suite of standards that provide operational
requirements for PV systems is the IEEE1547 series of
standards, recommended practices and guides. Table 1 lists
the relevant documents and the titles.
TABLE 1: IEEE INTERCONNECTION STANDARDS FOR PV
IEEE # Title
IEEE1547- IEEE Standard for Interconnecting Distributed
2003 Resources with Electric Power Sources
IEEE1547.1 Standard for Conformance Test Procedures for
& Equipment Interconnecting Distributed
IEEE P1547.1a Resources with Electric Power Systems
(P1547.1a- Amendment 1 is in process)
IEEE 1547.2 Application Guide for IEEE 1547 Standard for
Interconnecting Distributed Resources with
Electric Power Systems
1547.4-2011 Guide for Design, Operation, and Integration of
Distributed Resource Islanded Systems with
Electric Power Systems
IEEE 1547.7 Guide to Conducting Distribution Impact Studies
for Distributed Resource Interconnection
IEEE1547a Standard for Interconnecting Distributed
Resources with Electric Power Sources –
Amendment 1 (limited to address three topics for
change 1) voltage regulation, 2) voltage ride-
through and 3) frequency ride-through.)
Published May 2014
1547 Rev. PAR Dec 2013; (Working group first meeting
April 2014)
Underwriters Laboratories develops and issues standards for
listing PV-specific components used for PV installations
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through its Standards Technical Panels. Some of the most-
used, PV-specific safety and performance based certification
documents issued by UL standards include personnel and fire
safety, fire ratings and fault processes, and utility
interconnection compatibility. A list of the most-used UL
standards for PV-related equipment is shown in Table 2.
TABLE 2. MOST USED UL STANDARDS FOR PV EQUIPMENT
UL1699B Photovoltaic (PV) dc arc-fault circuit protection
UL1703 Flat Plate Photovoltaic Modules and Panels
UL1741 Inverters, Converters, Controllers, and
Interconnection System Equipment For Use
With Distributed Energy Resources
UL2703 Rack Mounting Systems and Clamping Devices
for Flat-Plate Photovoltaic Modules and Panels
III. THE 2014 NEC DEVELOPMENT CYCLE
The National Electrical Code was first developed and
published in 1897 by only 23 people. In 1903 the National
Fire Protection Association (NFPA) assumed leadership. In
recent times this consensus code has been updated every three
years by thousands of volunteers.
The NEC is the most comprehensive electrical code in the
world, is the most widely adopted code in the United States,
and its use has resulted in generally safe and hazard-free
electrical systems in the United States for more than 100 years.
Article 690 was added to the Code in 1984 by only 4 people
assigned to a task group with 2 proposals to deal specifically
with PV systems. PV installations come under the
requirements of the code because PV power systems are
electrical power production systems and are interconnected to
the electrical power production and distribution network.
The first four chapters of the NEC provide general
requirements for electrical installations that apply to all
electrical systems and electrical contractors and installers are
expected to be knowledgeable of the contents. Chapters that
apply to PV include the basics of all electrical systems shown
in Table 3 as well as other sections.
TABLE 3 – GENERAL SECTIONS OF THE NEC
Chapter Title
1 General: Definitions; General Requirements
2 Wiring & Protection; Identification of Conductors,
Circuits, Overcurrent Protection, Grounding/ Bonding
3 Wiring Methods and Materials; Numerous Wiring
Methods in Detail, Ampacity Tables for Conductors
4 Equipment for General Use; Flexible Cables,
Switches, Switchboards and Panel Boards, Generators,
Transformers, Energy Storage Batteries
The remaining five chapters of the NEC deal with special
types of electrical equipment.
Chapter 5: Parts of Chapter 5, Special Occupancies pertain
to PV systems if installed on or near one of occupancies such
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as a health care facility, mobile home, trailer park, theater,
agricultural building, and other occupancies.
Chapter 6, Special Equipment, covers PV systems, fuel cells,
wind systems, integrated power systems, outdoor lighting etc.
Chapter 7, Special Conditions, low-voltage systems (<50
volts), power-limited circuits, interconnected power systems,
optional/required standby power systems and instrumentation
It now contains the grid-interconnection requirements for PV.
Chapter 8, Communications Systems, has requirements that
may apply to PV when used to power these types of systems.
Chapter 9 has tables on conduit fill capacities and conductor
properties that are used in the design of nearly all PV systems.
IV. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES FOR PV IN THE 2014 NEC
Changes for PV and interconnections were extensive and
inclusive of most topics. One major change for the 2014NEC
originated in Article 490 where the threshold voltage for
higher voltage equipment and requirements was revised from
600V to 1000V. That change propagates throughout the NEC
and impacts materials, hardware, systems, including PV. This
was a welcome change for larger PV systems that enables
improved system efficiency and reduced costs of copper
wiring. Table 4 shows a high level overview of other 2014
changes for Article 690, Solar Photovoltaic Systems.
TABLE 4 OVERVIEW SHOWING EXTENTS OF CHANGES IN 690
690.(Number) Description Actions Taken
Part I (1-6) General and Definitions Reorg and New
Part II (7-12) Circuit Requirements Reorg/New 1000V
Part III (13-18) Disconnecting Means Major Reorg/New
Part IV (31-35) Wiring Methods Major Reorg/New
Part V (41-50) Grounding New, Revised
Part VI (51-56) Marking New, Revised
Part VII (57-64) Connection to Other Revised
Sources
Part VIII(71-74) Storage Batteries Revised
Part IX (80-85) Over 600 Volts (listing) New and Revised
Part X (90 -91) EV Charging All New
One technology-advancement addition to Article 690 was the
addition of DC-DC converters and DC-current combiners in
690.1 that aligned the NEC with new technology. The
definition of multimode inverter was added and covers
opportunities for systems to be both stand-alone and utility
interactive.
Article 690 was reorganized in several areas and changes to
Article 690.4 were extensive with most of the installation
requirements moved to 690.31 Most of the installation
requirements were combined with methods already residing in
Article 690.31 (Wiring Methods). Many changes were
editorial, but minor technical changes were also included.
The rewrite of 690.5 (Ground-fault Detection and
Interruption) had several contentious proposals to “Determine
the PV input circuit has isolation prior to export of current”
that the PV industry determined was extremely difficult to
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meet considering the variability of system designs (particularly
grounded systems). That proposal was rejected and the final
language focused on a requirement to detect ground faults in
all dc current carrying conductors. That requirement was
added to eliminate the blind spot that is undetectable if only
faults in the ungrounded conductors are to be detected.[3][4]
The adopted language reads “The device or system shall:
(1) Be capable of detecting a ground-fault in the PV array “dc
current carrying conductors” and components including any
intentionally grounded conductors,
(2) Interrupt the flow of fault current,
(3) Provide an indication of the fault, and
(4) Be listed for providing PV ground fault protection.”
Fire prevention was a very important but contentious topic
for 2014. The requirements for arc-fault protection were
changed in 690.11 to include detection of series arc faults in
either or both of the dc source circuits, or the dc output
circuits. The remainder of 690.11 was changed and simplified
to read:
“(1) The system shall detect and interrupt arcing faults
resulting from a failure in the intended continuity of a
conductor, connection, module, or other system component in
dc PV source and output circuits.
(2) The system shall require that the disabled or disconnected
equipment be manually restarted.
(3) The system shall have an annunciator that provides a visual
indication that the circuit interrupter has operated. This
indication shall not reset automatically.”
Recent fires on large buildings have emphasized the need for
first responder firefighter safety. There were several different
versions of proposals including a requirement of PV module-
level disconnects actuated with a single “Rapid Shutdown”
switch accessible to firefighters. Extensive discussions could
not conclude that today’s technology is reliable enough nor
have the necessary lifetime and mean-time-between-failures to
instill confidence that module-level devices would work over
the lifetime of the PV system. The resulting language is;
“690.12 Rapid Shutdown of PV Systems on Buildings
PV system circuits installed on or in buildings shall include a
rapid shutdown function that controls specific conductors in
accordance with 690.12(1) through (5).
(1)Requirements for controlled conductors apply only to PV
system conductors of more than 1.5 meters (5 feet) in length
inside a building, or more than 3 meters (10 feet) from a PV
array.
(2)Controlled conductors shall be limited to no more than 30
volts and 240VA within 10 seconds of rapid shutdown
initiation.
(3)Voltage and power shall be measured between any two
conductors & between any conductor and ground. The voltage
and power shall be measured between any conductors and
ground.
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(4)The rapid shutdown initiation methods shall be labeled in
accordance with 690.56(B).
(5)Equipment that performs the rapid shutdown shall be listed
and identified.”
The area within the 10’ boundary of the array is NOT reduced voltage
“Conductors more than 5 feet in length inside a building, or more than
10 feet) from a PV array ARE COVERED by 690.12”
Figure 1. Illustration of PV array boundaries for reduced
voltage after rapid shutdown
A careful examination of the new 690.12 reveals that there is
a need for further development for the 2017NEC. Figure 1
depicts the PV array exclusion area for reduced voltage during
and after rapid shutdown.
Improved and clarified rules for the disconnection of PV
equipment are covered in 690.15. Disconnects are now better
described in 690.17 with an extensive list of allowable types of
manually operated disconnects. This article also now provides
the requirements for simultaneous opening of poles, externally
operable and indicating devices, disconnection of grounded
conductors and interrupting ratings on devices.
Wiring methods for PV systems are now wrapped up into
690.31. What was formerly part of other sections are now
bundled into “Methods Permitted”. Marking and labeling is
an important part of this article with requirements spelled out.
The requirements for Ground-Fault Protection in ungrounded
PV systems in 690.35 were strengthened and clarified to say
ground-fault protection device shall detect ground fault(s) in
the PV array current-carrying conductors and components and
that the GFDI device must be listed for providing PV ground-
fault protection.
System grounding requirements were combined, clarified and
reorganized in 690.46 and 690.47. The PV array grounding
section saw the most extensive number of changes. A
requirement for an Auxiliary Electrode that was added impacts
residential installations more than commercial installations
since other codes already require an auxiliary electrode.
Section 690 IX provides the necessary reference to Article
490 and other sections of the code for PV systems at voltages
over 1000V. This provides a pathway for higher voltage PV
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systems with a resultant effect of lower losses in wiring and
higher efficiency of PV inverters.
Electric vehicle charging was added as a new section as 690
X that enables the opportunities for PV to engage in new
electric vehicle applications as well as applications that will
include connections to the smart grid of the future and
microgrid applications.
V. WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR THE 2017NEC
Public input of electronic proposals for changes to the NFPA
for the 2017NEC is due November 5, 2014. The option of
submitting paper copies of proposals is still available for this
cycle but the due date for those submittals is October 3, 2014.
This every-three-year process requires that public input for
proposed changes be entered by the dates as applicable, and
further stipulates that no new proposals can be submitted
during the remainder of the cycle. Only edits and clarifications
of public input proposals are allowed.
A. The Code Making Processes
The 2017NEC will use a new electronic proposal process for
the public input period. The process will enable electronic
processing of the proposals that will be entered into a first
draft report and a first draft version of the NEC if the proposal
is accepted in both the public input the public comment stages.
This will provide a more convenient method to determine how
the proposed edition will read. The comment period will also
produce a draft copy of the resulting 2017NEC.
B. Organized Public Input from Stakeholders
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) Standards
and Codes Working Group (SEIA S&C WG) is collaborating
with the Solar ABCs industry forum to engage members of the
PV industry to determine needed changes for the 2017NEC.
The industry is working proactively to prioritize and propose
needed changes for 2017NEC to keep pace with new PV
system advances such as dc-dc converter integrations, new PV
module level electronics, and advancing technologies such as
arc-fault detection and mitigation. The groups are
collaborating, as well to determine the requirements for future
technology advances, more complex utility interconnections
and the applicable safety needs.
Examples of technology needs that are extremely difficult to
predict for the 2017NEC include advanced microgrids and the
associated interconnects with two-way power flow.[5]
Dispatched PV with interconnected energy storage and with
smart grid functionalities such as low voltage ride through,
VAR support for voltage stabilization or new functionalities
such as dispatched energy delivery from PV systems for
improved resilience of a distribution line is being analyzed.
C. Proposed Changes for 2017NEC
Initial proposed changes were first submitted to the SEIA
S&CWG and the Solar ABCs Industry Forum for discussion
and prioritizations for proposed changes. The result of
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meetings of the two groups was the formation of eight task
groups. Those task groups are addressing options and forming
consensus proposals that will then be presented to all
participants in both groups before submittal to the NFPA.[6]
The topics and primary code articles being addressed are listed
in Table 5.
TABLE 5: PRIORITIZED TOPICS FOR CHANGE IN 2017 NEC
Topic Addressed Primary Article(s) Affected
Rapid Shutdown 690.12 First responder safety
Disconnecting Means 690.13, 690.15, 690.17
Ground-Fault Protection 690.5 and all Grounding sections
Modules with Integrated 690.5, 690.8 and sections using
Electronics PV characteristic for Overcurrent
Energy Storage 690.71 Energy Storage
Arc Fault Protection 690.11 & 705.12 Series arc
faults & PV technology
differences
Article 47(A-D) 690.47 Grounding Electrode
Systems
Utility Scale Much of 690 and 705
SUMMARY
The 2014NEC cycle provided many critical and positive
clarifications. Fire safety, fault protection, dc and ac
interconnect, and grounding requirements were a focus but
reorganization and other changes were overarching and
extensive. The 2014NEC is likely an entry into many more
application advances for PV. As PV and other technology
changes emerge, efforts are underway to provide proactive
proposals for changes in Articles 690 and 705 to the
2017NEC.
REFERENCES
[1] NFPA70, 2014 National Electrical Code, , Published by
the National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA,
approved Aug 21, 2013.
[2] Adoption of the National Electrical Code® by State or Local
Jurisdiction, National Electrical Manufacturers Association,
http://www.nema.org/Technical/FieldReps/Pages/National-
Electrical-Code.aspx, Jan, 2014.
[3] Ball, G., Brooks, W., et al, “Inverter Ground-Fault Detection
- Blind Spot and Mitigation Methods”, available at
www.solarabcs.org, Jun 2013.
[4] Early, M., Coache, C., Cloutier, M, Moniz, G., NFPA70, 2014
National Electrical Code Handbook, 13th Edition, International
Electrical Code Series, Published by the National Fire Protection
Association, 2013.
[5] Bower, W. et al; “The Advanced Microgrid – Integration and
Interoperability,” SAND 2014-1535, Sandia Report, Sandia National
Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, Mar 2014.
[6] Summary of Preliminary Proposals from Industry for the 2017
NEC,https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B4BD-
rv0_T7IVEl3UW8tM2xzN1E&usp=sharing , Solar ABCs Google
Drive for Proposed Changes to the 2017 NEC.
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