DesignGuide 200series. Solyndra
DesignGuide 200series. Solyndra
DesignGuide 200series. Solyndra
Version 1.1
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English. 0920-30102-002 Release Date: 2011-04-01 Visit http://www.solyndra.com for the mostcurrent version of this document.
GENERAL DISCLAIMER
The information contained in Solyndras instructions, guides, application notes, or any other document is advisory in nature only. Solyndra makes no representation or warranties that any referenced techniques or methods are necessarily safe, legal, or compliant with applicable codes and regulations. The customer must work with qualified system designers, installers and other professional personnel as required to ensure that all Solyndra photovoltaic system designs and installations are safe and in compliance with all applicable codes and regulations. Solyndra assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information or processes disclosed herein. Reference herein to any particular commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by Solyndra.
WARRANTY DISCLAIMER
The warranty terms for Solyndras photovoltaic products are governed solely by the express terms of the Solyndra Limited Warranty provided to the purchaser of Solyndra products as may be transferred there under. Solyndra expressly disclaims any and all other express warranties and any and all implied warranties, including but not limited to those relating to the sale and/or use of Solyndra photovoltaic products, fitness for a particular purpose, merchantability or non-infringement or infringement of any intellectual property right. Solyndra may make changes to specifications, guidelines, and products at any time without notice. Purchasers or potential purchasers, designers and installers should contact their local Solyndra representative or the Solyndra website to ensure that they have and are working with the most up-to-date information and documentation relating to Solyndras photovoltaic products.
Contact Information
Headquarters Solyndra LLC 47488 Kato Road Fremont CA 94538 USA Fax (+1) 510-662-4877 Regional Support Contacts US & Canada EMEA Belgium France Solyndra International AG Lindenstrasse 16 6340 Baar, Switzerland Germany Greece Italy Spain UK 877-511-8436 353 61 79 1124 0800 50735 0800 942896 0800 0004366 English DE, EN, FR, IT English French, English German, English customersupport@solyndra.com customersupporteu@solyndra.com customersupportbe@solyndra.com customersupportfr@solyndra.com customersupportde@solyndra.com customersupporteu@solyndra.com customersupportit@solyndra.com customersupportes@solyndra.com customersupportuk@solyndra.com
00800 3973 4547 English 800 125604 900 800566 0800 368-0423 Italian, English English English
Contents
Chapter 1 Designing with Solyndra Panels 4
1.1. Code Compliance & Safety...............................................................................................................................................4 1.2. Required Information ......................................................................................................................................................4 1.3. Design Sequence ..............................................................................................................................................................4
Chapter 2 Wiring
2.1. The Solyndra Connector System .....................................................................................................................................5 2.2. String Blocks .....................................................................................................................................................................7 2.3. String Wiring .....................................................................................................................................................................8 2.4. Home Run Wiring .............................................................................................................................................................9 2.5. Grounding ....................................................................................................................................................................... 10 2.6. Array Installation around Lightning Grids .................................................................................................................... 10
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3.1. Designing for Wind ..........................................................................................................................................................11 3.2. Roof Zone Definitions .....................................................................................................................................................12 3.3. Placing Panels Over Roof Objects ................................................................................................................................. 16 3.4. Planning Layouts for Uneven Roofs .............................................................................................................................. 16 3.5. Estimating Energy Yield ................................................................................................................................................. 16
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4.1. Clearance Tables for Building Site Zones B, C, D ........................................................................................................... 19 4.2. Clearance Tables for Building Site Zone E .....................................................................................................................20 4.3. A Note on Code Compliance ......................................................................................................................................... 22
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5.1. Solyndra Panels & Mounts .............................................................................................................................................23 5.2. Solyndra Cable Management System ...........................................................................................................................24 5.3. Optional Panel Mounting Components ........................................................................................................................24 5.4. Standard Configuration..................................................................................................................................................25 5.5. Roof Loads ......................................................................................................................................................................26
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1.1.
Chapter 2 Wiring
2.1. The Solyndra Connector System
Each Solyndra panel has four connectors; two for positive and two for negative. The connectors are arranged to make it possible to implement series and parallel connections between panels in an array. The panel and its connectors are shown in Figure 1, along with the CAD tool symbol from the CAD package that Solyndra offers. Refer to Chapter 7 on page 31 for detail of the CAD tool package.
Wiring
Female +
The preferred orientation for Solyndra panels is with the modules (tubes) oriented north-south. Panels are then wired in series, as shown in Figure 2. This type of connection is commonly referred to as a string.
Female +
+ Positive Side
Male Female +
Female +
Male -
Negative Side
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Horizontal string connections are also possible, as shown in Figure 3. It is important when connecting panels in horizontal strings, as shown in Figure 3, that only connector pair be connected. Connecting both pairs would create a short circuit between the two panels.
Wiring
Female, +
Male, Female, +
Female +
Male +
Correct four-panel strings are shown in Figure 4. Notice how positive connectors are connected to negative connectors starting at the tail end of the string arrow (in green) and going towards the head of the arrow, increasing the total voltage with each panel.
Figure 5 shows connections between panels in a typical view from underneath the array.
Wiring
Some designs use strings six panels long. An example is shown in Figure 7. Note that in Figure 6 and Figure 7 all series and parallel connections can be made using only the built-in panel connectors.
In some cases, the standard string-block arrangement may not be convenient for a roof location due to obstacles or other factors. Figure 8 shows a 24-panel horizontal string block. In this design, short jumper cables (shown in red and blue) will be required to make the parallel connections on the positive and negative ends of the string block. Note that the string blocks shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8, while physically different, are electrically equivalent.
Negative Jumpers
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Positive Jumpers
Wiring
Table 1.
I5 One String Two Strings
where N is the number of strings to be connected in parallel while still keeping the maximum fault current (Ifault) less than the series fuse rating, as specified in the data sheet. This can be solved for N, the number of strings, as: Eqn 3. N = ( I fault - I fuse ) + 1
1.25I sc
The series fuse rating for 200 Series Panels is 24.4 Amps. Substituting this into Eqn 3 this for the fault current, and using the short-circuit current rating as specified in the data sheet, the maximum number of strings can be calculated. The results are shown in Table 2. It is permissible to have string blocks of fewer than the maximum number of strings in parallel.
Wiring
Table 2.
Isc
The Solyndra cable management system makes it easy to efficiently route home run wiring. An example for 4 by 4 systems is shown in Figure 10; one for 6 by 4 systems is shown in Figure 11.
4x4 string block Standard 8 x 12 (96 panels) equals 6 4x4 blocks Double-wide (192 panels) equals 12 4x4 blocks Home run wiring
4x6 string block Standard 8 x 12 (96 panels) equals 4 4x6 blocks Double-wide (192 panels) equals 8 4x6 blocks Home run wiring
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Wiring
2.5. Grounding
Solyndra 200 Series Panels and mounts meet the requirements for IEC Protection Class II . It is not necessary to ground the array, or to ground any particular lead of the array at the inverter (unless required by code) when installing a Solyndra system. Due to the hermetic seals used in the construction of each Solyndra module, they are not susceptible to corrosion damage from voltage offsets with respect to ground.
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3.1.1.
Table 3.
Roof material TPO membrane Elastomeric coatings EVA membrane PVC membrane EPDM membrane Hard coatings
Not recommended means that the combination is not chemically compatible. Care should be taken during installation on icy or dirty surfaces as these can reduce friction below measured values.
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Zone A
Zone A is defined as the area of the roof between the 5-foot (1.52 m) setback line and the line defined by Dimension A. Dimension A is defined as including the 5-foot (1.52 m) setback. This means that if the calculation gives a value of 5 feet (1.52 m), there is no Zone A. In other words, for rectangular buildings less that 12.5 feet (3.8 m) high, or less than 50 feet (15.2 m) wide, the 5-foot (1.52 m) setback is sufficient, and the width of Zone A is effectively zero, that is, there is no Zone A.
Determining Dimension A
Step 1: Calculate two values: 40% of the building height. 10% of the lesser of building length or width.
Step 2: Select the smallest of these possible dimensions. Step 3: Compare the result with 5 feet (1.52 m). Dimension A is the largest of these values.
Zone B
Zone B is the intersection of a the pie-shaped section at each exterior corner and Zone A. The pie-section is defined by Dimension B, which is a radius, from the corner of the building, equal to 100% of the building height. The shape of Zone B is different for high and low parapet roofs. For high-parapet roofs, the intersection of Zone A and Zone B is defined as Zone B. For low-parapet roofs, the intersection of Zone A and Zone B is a forbidden area.
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Table 4.
Roof Slope
Less than 1:10 (5.7) Between 1:10 and 2:12 (5.7-9.6) Between 1:10 and 2:12 (5.7-9.6)
In each of the figures, red represents roof area in which panels may never be placed.
Figure 12. Roof Zone Definition - High Parapet; Monoslope 2:12; Ridged 1:10
5 ft (1.52 m) edge setback Zone A Zone B Zone B
Dimension A
Zone A
Zone C
Dimension B
Zone B
Zone B
Figure 13. Roof Zone Definition - Low Parapet; Monoslope 2:12; Ridged 1:10
5 ft (1.52 m) edge setback Zone A Zone B Zone B
Dimension A
Zone A
Zone C
Dimension B
Zone B
Zone B
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Dimension B
Zone A Zone A Zone A Zone C
Dimension B
Zone A Zone B Zone B Zone B Zone A Zone A Zone C
Dimension A (*)
Dimension A
Zone B
Zone B
Zone A
Zone B
Zone A
Dimension B
Zone A Zone A Zone A Zone C
Dimension B
Zone C
Dimension A
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Table 5.
Fc (1)
Roof Zone A (2, 3) 0.6 B, low (4) B, high (4) C A (2, 3) 0.8 B, low (4) B, high (4) C A (2, 3) 1.0 B, low (4) B, high (4) C 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 1 4 9 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 1 9 16 9 9 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 9 36 4 9 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 16 64 9 9 9 4 4 9 4 4 4 4 25 100 16 16 9 16 9 9 9 9 9 9 25 NA 36 25 9 25 9 9 9 9 9 9 36 NA 49 25 16 36 16 16 9 9 9 9 49 NA 81 36 25 49 16 16 9 9 9 9 100 NA NA 49 25 64 25 25 16 25 16 16
Table 6.
Fc (1)
Roof Zone A (2, 3) 0.6 B, low (4) B, high (4) C A (2, 3) 0.8 B, low (4) B, high (4) C A (2, 3) 1.0 B, low (4) B, high (4) C 54 40 40 18 12 8 12 9 8 8 8 8 63 63 60 32 20 8 27 12 8 8 8 8 NA NA 108 98 45 60 44 40 40 40 15 24
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Figure 17. Right and Wrong Ways to Place Panels on Uneven Roofs
Acceptable
Acceptable (a)
Unacceptable
Unacceptable
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Table 7.
Multiple soil conditions are also considered for each of the four levels in this study by adjusting the SS and S1 values by site soil coefficients (Fa and Fv) per ASCE 7-05. Only site Classes B, C, D, and E (as defined by ASCE 7-05) are considered in this study. Site Class A is not considered as it is rarely encountered in occupied areas. The adjusted values are then used to define the MCE response spectra for each soil type considered.
* The MCE is defined as an earthquake of such intensity that there is a 2% probability that it would be exceeded in a time period of 50 years (or equivalently with a return period of 2,475 years). 0920-30102-002 Solyndra Confidential Design Guide 200 Series 17
Roof Slope.
Arrays should not be installed on roofs with slopes greater than 1:12 (4.76 degrees) in seismically-active areas
Coefficient of Friction
For seismic purposes, the coefficient of friction is the dynamic friction between the roof surface and the chosen panel mount. Refer to Table 8 for values.
Table 8.
Roof material
TPO membrane Elastomeric coatings EVA membrane PVC membrane EPDM membrane Hard coatings
Not recommended means that the combination is not chemically compatible. Care should be taken during installation on icy or dirty surfaces as these can reduce friction below measured values.
Wiring
Combiner boxes must be set back from the array a distance greater that the specified displacement. Homerun wiring must be flexible and include strain-reliefs. It must be long enough not to restrict any possible movement of the panels in a seismic event.
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Table 11.
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Panel
Snow Mount
0048-30100
May be used to cover unused Solarlok male connectors. Dust Cap for Female Solyndra Connectors 0048-30094
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Used for routing the home-run cables around and within the array. Short Cable Channel SLC-2TN
Used for routing the home-run cables around and within the array. Cable Channel Peg SLC-2CN
Cable Channel Pegs are installed on the sides of the array. They support the Short Cable Channels that contain the home-run connections. Cable Channel Hanger SLC-2CE Cable Channel Hangers are installed on the sides of the array. They support the Long Cable Channels that contain the home-run connections. Panel Mount Cable Channel SLC-2DE
Used at the center of the Panel side rails to increase the snow load rating.
SLL-340
Used on mineral-wool or other soft roofs. The standard Panel Mount rests on the LDF, which allows the LDF to tilt slightly to accommodate uneven roof surfaces.
Table 20. Tyco Solarlok Connector Part Numbers, 10 ga (5.3 mm2) Wire
Female Cable Connector Plus Keyed Plus Coupler Minus Coupler Male Coupler, Neutral 5-1394462-5 Minus Keyed 5-1394462-5 Male Cable Connector Plus Keyed 1394461-7 Minus Keyed 1394461-8 Unkeyed 6-1394461-3
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Table 22. Distributed Roof Load, Standard Panel Mount and LDF Mount
Panel Wt. 31.8 Kg 70 lbs Panel Area 2.49 m2 26.8 ft
2
Standard Mount Distributed Load Wt. 2.3 Kg 5 lbs 13.9 Kg/m2 2.84 psf
The values in Table 22 assume an average of 1.22 panel mounts per panel; correct for an 8 by 12 array. From a design viewpoint, adding an array to a roof adds 2.84 lbs/ft2 (13.9 kg/m2) of distributed load to the roof. However, in some cases the roof s live load allowance of 20 lbs/ft2 (100 kg/m2) may be eliminated in those areas covered by panels because it will no longer be possible to walk in areas occupied by the array.
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5.5.2. Roof Mount Point Loads Table 23. Snow Load Contact Pressure Metric Units
Snow Load Total Weight Kg 0 76.0 175 228 304 384 469 Pressure per Mount Panel Mounts at corners only KPa 9.43 30.1 57.1 71.6 92.3 Kg/m2 962 3073 5819 7297 9409 Panel Mounts + Snow Mounts KPa 4.76 15.1 28.6 35.8 46.2 57.0 68.6 Kg/m2 485 1541 2914 3653 4709 5817 6996 Pressure per Mount, with LDF Panel Mounts at corners only KPa 1.06 3.25 6.10 7.64 9.83 Kg/m2 108 331 622 779 1002 Panel Mounts + Snow Mounts KPa .563 1.66 3.08 3.85 4.95 6.10 7.32 Kg/m2 57 169 315 393 505 622 747
Not permitted
Not permitted
Not permitted
Not permitted
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5.5.3. Hail
Solyndra panel hail specifications are shown in Table 26. When planning installations, check historical weather data to determine the possibility of receiving hail in excess of the panels hail specification.
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Percentage of Wp
60 40 20 0
Percentage of Wp
80
80 60 40 20 0
Hourly Data
4000
Technical Factors
Solyndras energy yield forecast tool produces an hour-by-hour forecast of energy production. From this, the peak power produced by the array can be determined. An inverter sized to this value will be sufficient. As an example, a nominal 250 kW array installed in Sacramento, California will produce, for a few days around June 22nd, a maximum of 206 kW. This is the peak output, so an inverter of 210 kWp is sufficient for this array.
Economic Factors
It may make economic sense to use an even smaller inverter than the technical factors alone suggest. Inverters are not harmed by being connected to an array which produces more watts than the inverter rating. The inverter simply de-tunes the array, an effect known as clipping. In the above example, a 200 kW inverter will sacrifice only 0.2% of total energy; a 180 kW inverter will sacrifice only 3.6%. The Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) metric is an useful indicator of the optimum inverter size, as it accounts for both the cost benefit and the lost energy penalty. Figure 21 shows the LCOE for different inverter sizes for the nominal-250 kW example system. At the ratio of 1.45, the inverter size is 172.4 kW, for a loss of only 8.4%.
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Solyndra offers an Excel spreadsheet tool that will automatically import the hourly data from the energy yield model and evaluate the performance of various inverter sizes.
$700 1.75 $600 $500 $400 $300 $200 $100 $0 1.00 1.20 1.40 1.60 1.80 2.00 DC:AC Ratio
kW Output
1 218 435 652 869 1086 1303 1520 1737 1954 2171 2388 2605 2822 3039 3256 3473 3690 3907 4124 4341
kW Output
NPV
Histogram of Hourly Energy Output
6.2. Summary
In all cases, it makes sense to determine the actual power output of the array, and size the inverter accordingly. In most cases, it will make economic sense to select an inverter somewhat smaller than the actual peak power output of the array, especially at more-northern latitudes. The precise oversize ratio will depend on the tariff regimen, actual insolation, and inverter cost. Regardless of the tariff, Solyndras Excel tool can be used to evaluate inverter size options. Solyndras Design Team can also assist in determining the optimum inverter size.
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1 218 435 652 869 1086 1303 1520 1737 1954 2171 2388 2605 2822 3039 3256 3473 3690 3907 4124 4341 Histogram of Hourly Energy Output
Layers
Layers have been assigned to drawing elements to allow the designer to control the desired level of visible detail in a drawing. The defined layers are:
SOL-PANEL CONNECTIONS SOL-BLOCK DESCRIPTIONS SOL-SHEET OBJECTS SOL-PANEL MOUNTS SOL-PROOFING SOL-COMPONENT HANDLES SOL-CABLE CHANNELS SOL-STRING BRANCHES SOL-PANELS SOL-ATTRIBUTES
The SOL-PROOFING layer displays colored indicators of the different panel assembly blocks. There are four color coded panels in the CAD Toolkit. This color coding provides visual cues that allow the designer to quickly verify that the correct panel and array blocks were used in creating an array design. The yellow (TL) panel is always in the upper left corner of the sub-array. The light blue (T) panel is the top row of the sub-array, excluding the upper left corner panel. The pink panel (L) is the left edge of the sub-array, excluding the upper left corner panel. And the dark blue (F) panel is the remaining fill of the sub-array.
Blocks
The parts required for a Solyndra installation are drawn as blocks in the Model space. The panel block contains handles for attaching the other mounting system parts. The Model space also contains blocks containing pre-built sub-arrays for typical stringing configurations. These sub-array blocks have been built up from the individual parts blocks and can be used as building blocks for assembling larger arrays. Where an array section calls for a configuration not provided in the pre-built sub-arrays, the designer can build up that array section from detailed panel and parts blocks. Each block may be copied from the example already inserted in the Model space or accessed from the Insert Block menu.
Panel Details
The Panel Details sheet contains blocks for individual parts and single panel assemblies. Panels are drawn to scale; panel dimensions have been increased slightly to allow for typical spacing between panels when installed. Panel Mounts (feet only) are drawn to scale and positioned accurately on the panel. All other parts are symbolic representations and are not drawn to scale.
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Attributes
Each individual part block has text attributes attached to it, which allow parts counts to be extracted from a drawing. The attributes assigned to each part block are as follows:
Block Name PANEL_W_ANCHOR PANEL_MNT CABLE_CHANNEL_LONG CABLE_CHANNEL_SHORT Attributes PANELS PANEL_MOUNT CABLE_CHANNEL_LONG CABLE_CHANNEL_SHORT Description Panel Panel Mounts Long cable channel Short cable channel Default qty 1 1 1 1
Important Note: To avoid clutter in the drawing, the attributes are set as Invisible and Constant. If the blocks are exploded, the attributes will appear in the model space, and they will no longer be attached to a block and will prevent counting of parts.
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Revision History
Revision 1.0 1.1 Part Number 0920-30102-001 0920-30102-002 Date 2010-08-10 2 011-04-01 Notes Initial Version Updated for LLC
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Solyndra Quality Policy Solyndra provides state-of-the-art solar photovoltaic systems and expert support that meet customers expectations for quality, delivery, technology, and responsiveness. We are committed to continually improving the quality of our products and processes.
Design Guide 200 Series Solyndra LLC 47488 Kato Road Fremont CA 94538