It seems like everyone who purchases photovoltaic modules in the US is verifying whether the modules are UL listed.

What does that mean and where does the concern come from?

Well here is the latest of what we find.

The requirement really comes from the National Electric Code (NEC), but the requirement does not directly specify that the listing should be by UL (Underwriters Laboratories – a company).

The exact requirement states:

“…

Chapter 6 Special Equipment

…

ARTICLE 690—SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS

…

690.4 Installation.

…

(D) Equipment. Inverters, motor generators, photovoltaic modules, photovoltaic panels, ac photovoltaic modules, source-circuit combiners, and charge controllers intended

for use in photovoltaic power systems shall be identified and listed for the application.

…”

In section 100 there is the definition for listed:

“…

Chapter 1 General

…

ARTICLE 100—DEFINITIONS

…

Listed. Equipment, materials, or services included in a list published by an organization that is acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction and concerned with evaluation of products or services, that maintains periodic inspection of production of listed equipment or materials or periodic evaluation of services, and whose listing states that either the equipment, material, or service meets appropriate designated standards or has been tested and found suitable for a specified purpose.

FPN: The means for identifying listed equipment may vary for each organization concerned with product evaluation, some of which do not recognize equipment as listed unless it is also labeled. Use of the system employed by the listing organization allows the authority having jurisdiction to identify a listed product.

…”

In the same article we look up the definition for Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).

“…

Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). An organization, office, or individual responsible for enforcing the requirements of a code or standard, or for approving equipment, materials, an installation, or a procedure.

FPN: The phrase “authority having jurisdiction,” or its acronym

AHJ, is used in NFPA documents in a broad manner, since jurisdictions and approval agencies vary, as do their responsibilities. Where public safety is primary, the authority having jurisdiction may be a federal, state, local, or other regional department or individual such as a fire chief; fire marshal; chief of a fire prevention bureau, labor department, or health department; building official; electrical inspector; or others having statutory authority. For insurance purposes, an insurance inspection department, rating bureau, or other insurance company representative may be the authority having jurisdiction. In many circumstances, the property owner or his or her designated agent assumes the role of the authority having jurisdiction; at government installations, the commanding officer or departmental official may be the authority having jurisdiction.

…”

(this is for reference purposes only; the NEC text is copyrighted and isolated use of extracted instructions from it may be very insufficient for many purposes)

Ok so, obviously UL is considered to be “an organization that is acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction” as worded in Article 100 and ties in with the Article 690 point 690.4 (D) for photovoltaic equipment. So it’s is widely accepted that a UL listing (and labeling) assures that the equipment meets the NEC requirements.

What about other testing organizations though? There is no reason for monopoly of UL.

Well we are not able to find a list of such organizations but we came across information about one more company that does testing – Intertek ETL SEMKO. They state that their ETL labeling and listing is as good as the UL one.

Here is what they say on a brochure you can look up here.

(Click here for the Intertek ETL SEMKO brochure.)

“…

When it comes time to test your products to North American product safety standards, you may be led to believe that your choices are limited to certain marks, such as the UL Listed Mark. In reality, there are others equally recognized and accepted — prominent among them, the ETL Listed Mark issued by the ETL SEMKO division of Intertek.

…”

(again we are only quoting here for the purpose of supporting this article; Intertek’s text is copyrighted and all trade marks are their ownership)

The whole brochure is an interesting reading on the topic.

So we are finding that UL is not the only possible listing that solar panel manufactures can chose. A lot of new manufactures are suffering from the time it takes UL to start and complete the process if testing them and listing them. Some of them report that ETL is quicker to get, not because the testing and inspecting takes less time but because it is a company that at least for now offers less waiting to start working on the certification.

I guess the issue is still open, though, depending on what the AHJ will decide about “an organization that is acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction”. May be some state or local authorities, or insurance companies will have their own list of organizations that are acceptable.

All trademarks are property of their respective owners and are only displayed here as a reference.

Please, as always, feel free to comment on this. The opinion of people who have experience of going through the inspection process or getting a system insured is especially important.

Alternative energy sources like solar power and wind power, can reduce the burden on non-renewable resources. There are many things you can do as a home owner or user of energy to conserve energy, save the environment, and save some money too. Here are a few ideas to consider.

Solar water heaters can save you a lot of money on the energy used to heat your water for showers, laundry, dishes, and everything else you need heated water for. They are more expensive to install than a traditional natural gas or electric water heater, but over time they can pay for themselves with the energy savings you will achieve. You can either buy a water heater designed to use solar energy or you can modify your existing water heater to take advantage of the suns rays to heat your water. This is a really great use of the suns energy!

If you happen to have a swimming pool which uses a heater, you can also install a solar water heater on that system. These systems are so cost effective that if you live in an area where you can get sun to the heating system, you are foolish not to use solar energy to heat your pool up. If you really want to be environmentally friendly, make sure you convert to a salt water pool to avoid the chlorine and install a solar panel to produce electricity for your pump. Once you do that, you can have an eco-friendly pool that is powered completely by alternative solar energy.

Lighting your home is another simple way to use the suns rays to reduce your consumption of electricity. During the day, make sure your blinds are open to let the sunlight in and provide some heat. You can also install skylights or light tubes that will let sunlight into your house so you can turn off some lights. Alternatively, you can keep your blinds closed during the summer to block the heat from coming in to help keep your house cool. Just use a little common sense on when you want to let the light and heat in and when you want to keep the heat out. This use of solar energy costs almost nothing to use unless you decide to go all out and install a bunch of skylights. It might not even cost you anything if you already have blinds on your windows.

One last bit of alternative solar energy to talk about is solar panels. These come in many sizes and do things as simple as store energy during the day to power your sidewalk lights at night or as complex as harness the suns rays to create electricity to power your house. The technology is the same. Basically you convert solar energy into electrical energy and store it in a battery or series of batteries for use later. Large solar panels can be quite expensive, but with the cost of electricity today, there can be a very substantial payback on your monthly electricity bill. If you really produce a lot of electricity, you can even sell some of it back to the electricity company in some areas.

Now you might be asking what you can do if you cannot install solar panels or modify your house or apartment to put in a solar water heater or skylights. You may be able to purchase environmentally friendly energy from your electric company. In many areas, electric companies offer a green energy option which promotes the use of green or renewable energy like alternative solar energy. One such company that offers a green energy option to electricity customers in Texas and New York is Ambit Energy. Check with your company to see if you have the option to select green energy or check out the cheap electricity Ambit Energy offers.

Now that you know a little more about what is out there as far as renewable energy, go start saving money! Check out the video below for a little more information on saving energy and money!

RV solar panels are a component of an electrical system which converts light from the sun to electricity. This electricity is used to charge the RV batteries and are capable of running all the basics in your RV, including the lighting and appliances. On great advantage of using RV solar panels is that you can travel to a wider variety of locations. No longer will you have to worry about finding a source of power for your vehicles when you travel. As long as the sun is shining, you will be taking your power with you.

Thousands of companies in countries around the world now offer different RV solar panels for your convenience. When you decide to make the purchase, spend time researching which options are available to you so you can buy the best system and the lowest possible price.

Silicon Solar

Silicon Solar have a wide range of RV solar panel kits and can cater with providing anything from a single 15W amorphous solar panel up to the top of the range RVMaxx 330W RV Solar Power Kit.

This can provide enough power to run most of your small appliances.

Alpine Survival

Alpine Survival is one of the top choices for people looking to purchase RV solar panels. The RV solar panels that they sell are durable, lightweight, and easy to transport. One of the benefits of these and other top of the line solar panels is that they continue to generate electricity even if they are in partial shade.

Even the clumsy need not worry about the durability of Alpine Survival RV solar panels. You can pack them up and transport them without worrying about breaking them. They are so durable that it has been reported that dropping them and stepping on them still does not cause them to be ruined (although I would not recommend trying)! These RV solar panels have a unique design with lightweight construction and a nylon fabric covering which allows the entire unit to be folded into the size of a book. This makes them perfect to store and transport.

Mr. Solar

Another brand to consider when purchasing RV solar panels is Mr. Solar. They sell many of the most high efficiency brand names and kits, including such reliable names as Sharp, Sanyo, Photowatt, Mitsubishi, BP, GE, and more. This selection of RV solar panels and kits will ensure that you can find the exact one you want for your RV.

If you love to travel, RV solar panels are the perfect option. Your trips will be more convenient because you will no longer have to base your destination on where you can find a power source. Not only that, but you will save money by reducing your use of a traditional gas generator. With rising fuel prices, RV solar panels make practical sense for any traveler.