Is this a good place to discuss projects involving things that go on the roof?

Is this a good place to discuss progects involving things that go on the roof ?

Hi everybody, I am a new member here, retired engineer
I am interested in ECO and renewables generally from a DIY perspective, however I have found many websites devoted to this subject seem to harbor trolls who see there business as discouraging any DIY activity in this field. I suspect they are either employees in some related commercial enterprise or have related products they are trying to sell. Some also seem to be self appointed safety/legal guru's.

From watching this site I have not seen any of the above types of responses so I take it here innovation is supported.

I have an installed and working system that I am presently extending, the only part not truly DIY are the panels as these were cheaper to buy than I could build but all the installation and electronics (including an export connection) is DIY, is that acceptable here ?

I have avoided various keywords as they seem to attract unwanted attention

Re: Is this a good place to discuss progects involving things that go on the roof ?

I'm not sure if I really understood the concern in question which if I'm not wrong, seems to be safety; Something that must be clear is that even for the smaller home activity involving electricity the person who handles it must know what it is doing and preferably to be certified for this task. Regulations are there to assure that we are responsible for integrity of others who are at our houses.

Re: Is this a good place to discuss progects involving things that go on the roof ?

"home activity involving electricity the person who handles it must know what it is doing and preferably to be certified for this task"
So that would for example include DIY SMPS and DIY tube amps, by extension anything involving high voltages ?
Are you seriously suggesting DIYers be certified for this and if so what certification are you looking for ?

Re: Is this a good place to discuss progects involving things that go on the roof ?

Maybe I have not really understood the focus of the discussion, and I agree with you that the term certification was not the best suited, therefore in that case you can read as 'the need to have some technical background or training of any kind'. Obviously I did not refer to your case since you're an engineer, but to the general case that I had assumed you were referring to.

Re: Is this a good place to discuss progects involving things that go on the roof ?

It depends on the regulations existing on your country.
I.E. in my country, you cannt connect anything stable on mains unless it is not certified and has a CE marking on it.
Doing something by yourself, could be cheaper, satisfying, a sense of proud, but you have to remember your safety and the safety of other persons.
Are you sure to know all the regulations about safety ?
Think about it.
By the way, it is 30 years that I project for appliances and I can assure you that at least 1 hour per day is dedicated to the reading of rules, new regulations, etc.

Re: Is this a good place to discuss progects involving things that go on the roof ?

...but answering your specific question:
Yes, the forum is all about electricity and electronics so PV is certainly acceptable. We have a pretty good moderator team here, distributed around the World and with a keen eye out for trolls and spammers so although it does occasionally pop up, it never lasts for long.

Note the warnings you were given but equally feel free to ask technical questions. There are members here who specialize in almost everything energy and electronics related so its a good place to seek advice.

You can build and install yourself as long as safety regulations are observed. Ideally you should get a safety certificate from a qualified PV installer or you may not be covered by home insurance or liability insurance. In particular you need to observe 'anti islanding' rules, they concern automatic shut-down of grid-tied inverters so you can't accidentally back-feed power to a dead incoming power line. To do so would make it dangerous for anyone repairing the line as they would be unable to isolate it.

I have home made 2.5KW PV and 75KW solar heating array here all home constructed and installed although the inverters and PV panels were bought in .

You might also be interested in http://www.fieldlines.com and http://www.navitron.org.uk/forum if you haven't already found them.

Brian.

Re: Is this a good place to discuss progects involving things that go on the roof ?

It's a clash of Building Codes, Electrical Codes, Solar, safety regulations, standards; which are still in their infancy.
I think this causes innovation discussion to go off the rails. People are "iron fist" about how it should be done.

So you have an idea, it might shot down because the Codes do not allow it or people don't understand etc.
Difficult to brainstorm. But why not ask the Mods for a new forum on Solar/Alternative Energy? something other than power electronics as there are no shingles and Unistrut there lol.

Re: Is this a good place to discuss progects involving things that go on the roof ?

it might shot down because the Codes do not allow it or people don't understand etc.

Sorry if I insist, but this brings to incidents and death.
Unfortunately I have seen many incidents because people do not follow the rules; the rules are foreseen for the safety of things and persons, not to stop then.
You have to think that first of all is safety, then the possibility to build something innovative.
Do not think that rules are against you, the rules are with you, think if you do not follow the rules and a fire destroy everything.
About people that do not understand, the only way is to study.
Sorry

Re: Is this a good place to discuss progects involving things that go on the roof ?

Thank you all for your attention. Sadly it seems this is another site where non-conformist people are not welcome. Goodbye

Re: Is this a good place to discuss progects involving things that go on the roof ?

I assume that we may not have been clear in putting our opinions in regard to what you are concerning. I personally have nothing against someone doing something without knowing the specific rules for those activities, unless one do so with full knowledge of what are doing based on their scientific background, technical experience or professional training. In fact, standards are nothing more than a compilation of the general theory applied to that area. Anyway, the focus here was just giving general advice to general users, not exactly to someone like you which have a degree in electronics.