Standard

Track updates

AS/NZS 5033:2021

[Current]

Installation and safety requirements for photovoltaic (PV) arrays

Included in Solar PV and Battery Systems Set

AS/NZS 5033:2021 sets out general installation and safety requirements for electrical installations of PV arrays, including d.c. array wiring, electrical protection devices, switching and earthing provisions.

Published: 19/11/2021

Pages: 131

Table of contents

Cited references

Content history

Table of contents

Header

About this publication

Preface

1 Scope and general

1.1 Scope

1.2 Normative references

1.3 Terms and definitions

1.4 Notations

2 PV array system configuration

2.1 Configuration

2.1.1 General

2.1.2 PV system architectures

2.1.3 Array electrical diagrams

2.1.4 Use of PCE with multiple d.c. inputs

2.1.4.1 General

2.1.4.2 PCEs with separate maximum power point tracking (MPPT) inputs

2.1.4.3 PCEs with multiple inputs internally connected in the PCE

2.1.5 Strings constructed using d.c. conditioning units

2.1.6 Series-parallel configuration

2.2 Other considerations

2.2.1 Considerations due to fault conditions within a PV array

2.2.2 Considerations due to operating temperature

2.2.3 Performance issues

3 Safety issues

3.1 Maximum voltage limits

3.2 Protection against electric shock

3.3 Protection against overcurrent

3.3.1 General

3.3.2 Potential fault currents not originating at PV modules

3.3.3 Calculation of potential fault currents originating at PV modules

3.3.3.1 Calculation of maximum string current

3.3.3.2 Calculation of potential string fault current

3.3.3.3 Calculation of potential sub-array fault current

3.3.4 Requirements for overcurrent protection

3.3.4.1 Strings

3.3.4.2 Sub array

3.3.4.3 Array

3.3.5 Nominal overcurrent protection rating calculations

3.4 Protection against fire caused by arcs

3.5 Protection against earth faults

3.5.1 General

3.5.2 Systems with direct functional earthing of the PV array

3.5.2.1 General

3.5.2.2 Additional PCE detection required for functionally earthed PV arrays

3.5.3 Earth fault alarm

3.6 Protection against effects of lightning

4 Selection and installation of electrical equipment

4.1 General

4.2 Voltage and current calculations

4.2.1 PV maximum voltage calculation

4.2.1.1 General

4.2.1.2 PV module maximum voltage calculation

4.2.1.3 PV d.c. circuit maximum voltage calculation

4.2.1.3.1 Systems containing no DCUs

4.2.1.3.2 Systems containing partial DCUs

4.2.1.3.3 Systems containing DCUs on all modules

4.2.2 PV d.c. circuit current calculation

4.2.2.1 General

4.2.2.2 Current calculations

4.3 PV arrays

4.3.1 Selection of PV modules

4.3.1.1 General

4.3.1.2 Additional Standards for PV modules

4.3.2 Installation of PV modules

4.3.2.1 General

4.3.2.2 Mechanical

4.3.2.2.1 General

4.3.2.2.2 Thermal aspects

4.3.2.2.3 Mechanical loads on PV structures

4.3.2.2.4 Mechanical loads (New Zealand only)

4.3.2.2.5 Wind

4.3.2.2.6 Attaching PV modules to the array structure

4.3.2.2.7 Snow/ice accumulation

4.3.2.2.8 Corrosion

4.3.2.3 Electrical

4.3.2.3.1 General

4.3.2.3.2 Restricted access for PV modules

4.3.2.3.3 Wiring loops

4.3.2.3.4 In-line fusing

4.3.3 PV isolation methods

4.3.3.1 PV isolation methods for systems exceeding 120 V

4.3.3.2 PV isolation methods for systems not exceeding 120V

4.3.3.2.1 General

4.3.3.2.2 PV Module(s) installed within 1.5 m of the inverter

4.3.3.2.3 PV Module(s) not installed within 1.5 m of the PCE

4.3.4 Selection of load break disconnection devices

4.3.4.1 General

4.3.4.2 Load break disconnectors

4.3.4.2.1 General

4.3.4.2.2 Switch disconnectors

4.3.4.2.3 Current and voltage ratings for switch disconnectors

4.3.4.2.4 Circuit breakers

4.3.4.2.5 Current and voltage rating for circuit breakers

4.3.5 Installation of disconnection devices

4.3.5.1 General

4.3.5.2 Non load break disconnection device

4.3.5.2.1 Disconnection point

4.3.5.2.2 Non-load break switch disconnectors and circuit breakers

4.3.5.3 Load break disconnection device

4.3.5.3.1 General

4.3.5.3.2 Load break disconnection devices on systems with string fusing

4.3.5.3.3 Load break disconnection devices on systems without string fusing

4.3.6 Selection of overcurrent protection

4.3.6.1 General

4.3.6.2 Circuit breakers

4.3.6.3 Fuses

4.3.6.4 Fuse holders

4.3.6.5 Overcurrent protection for PV systems connected to battery energy storage system (BESS)

4.3.7 Installation of overcurrent protection

4.3.7.1 General

4.3.7.2 Overcurrent protection integrated into plugs, sockets and connectors

4.3.7.3 Overcurrent protection for PV systems connected to BESS

4.3.8 Selection of plugs, sockets and connectors

4.3.9 Installation of plugs, sockets and connectors

4.3.9.1 General

4.3.10 Selection of other PV equipment

4.3.10.1 Bypass diode

4.3.10.2 Blocking diode

4.3.10.3 d.c. conditioning units

4.3.10.4 Electronic devices in combinations with PV elements

4.3.11 Installation of other PV equipment

4.3.11.1 Bypass Diode

4.3.11.2 Blocking Diode

4.3.11.3 d.c. conditioning units

4.3.11.4 Electronic devices in combinations with PV elements

4.4 Wiring systems

4.4.1 General

4.4.2 Selection of cables

4.4.2.1 General

4.4.2.2 Current carrying capacity

4.4.2.3 Conductor size

4.4.2.4 Voltage drop

4.4.2.5 Underground cables

4.4.3 Installation of cables

4.4.3.1 General

4.4.3.2 Segregation

4.4.3.3 Termination of cables

4.4.4 Selection of wiring enclosures

4.4.4.1 Selection of wiring enclosures (Australia only)

4.4.4.2 Selection of wiring enclosures (New Zealand only)

4.4.5 Installation of wiring enclosures

4.4.5.1 General

4.4.5.2 Wiring enclosures for the wiring system

4.4.5.2.1 General

4.4.5.2.2 Additional mechanical protection requirements

4.4.5.2.3 Wiring systems between disconnection point and load break disconnection device or an application circuit

4.4.5.2.4 Wiring system between non-adjacent groups of PV modules

4.4.6 Selection of enclosures containing conductor terminations

4.4.6.1 General

4.4.6.2 Selection of enclosures containing disconnection devices

4.4.7 Installation of enclosures containing conductor terminations

4.4.7.1 General

4.4.7.2 Entries/exits of enclosures containing conductor terminations

4.4.7.2.1 General

4.4.7.2.2 Cable glands in outdoor locations

4.4.7.2.3 Conduits terminating into enclosures containing disconnection devices

4.4.7.3 Protection against weather and water for dedicated individual enclosures containing switch disconnectors

4.5 Power conversion equipment

4.5.1 Selection of power conversion equipments

4.5.1.1 General

4.5.1.2 Grid connected inverters

4.5.1.3 Power conversion equipment not connected to the grid

4.5.2 Installation of power conversion equipment

4.5.2.1 General

4.5.2.2 Grid connected inverters

4.5.2.3 Power conversion equipment not connected to the grid

4.5.3 Selection of load break disconnection devices for PCE

4.5.3.1 General

4.5.3.2 Load break disconnection devices integrated into the PCE

4.5.4 Installation of load break disconnection devices

4.5.4.1 Adjacent and physically separate load break disconnection devices

4.5.4.2 Requirements for multiple disconnection devices

4.6 Earthing arrangements

4.6.1 General

4.6.2 Earthing of PV array exposed conductive parts

4.6.3 Earthing or bonding connections requirements

4.6.4 Connection to installation earth

4.6.5 Earthing or bonding conductor size

4.6.6 PV array earth conductor installation

4.6.7 Direct/Resistive functional earthing of PV arrays

4.6.7.1 General

4.6.7.2 Functional earthing terminal of PV system

4.6.7.3 PV system functional earthing conductor

4.7 Verification

4.7.1 General

4.7.2 Visual Inspection requirements for a PV system

4.7.2.1 General

4.7.2.2 Checklist

4.7.3 Testing

4.7.3.1 General

4.7.3.2 Continuity of the earthing system

4.7.3.3 Insulation Resistance

4.7.3.4 Polarity

4.7.3.5 Open circuit voltage (Voc)

5 Marking

5.1 Equipment marking

5.2 Requirements for labels and signs

5.2.1 General

5.2.2 UV resistance

5.3 Labelling/signs for PV cables and enclosures

5.3.1 Wiring system identification

5.3.1.1 General

5.3.1.2 In a ceiling space or accessible floor space

5.3.2 Signs for junction boxes containing PV d.c. cable terminations

5.4 Fire and emergency information

5.5 Labelling/signs for disconnection device

5.5.1 General

5.5.2 PV disconnecting device

5.5.2.1 Load break disconnection device

5.5.2.2 Disconnection point

5.6 Recording of solar system layout

5.6.1 General

5.6.1.1 Additional information for PV d.c. systems

5.7 Shutdown procedure

5.8 Labelling of fuse holders

6 System documentation and commissioning

6.1 General

6.2 System manual

6.3 Commissioning

6.3.1 General

6.3.2 Commissioning tests

6.3.3 Short circuit currents measurement in PV array

Appendix A

A.1 Examples of signs for PV cables and enclosures

A.2 Examples of signs for PV d.c. wiring systems

A.3 Examples of signs for fire and emergency information

A.4 Examples of signs for disconnection devices

A.5 Example of a typical solar system layout

A.6 Example of a typical shutdown procedure sign

Appendix B

B.1 Examples of earthing system configurations

B.2 d.c. fault conditions for various system configurations

Appendix C

C.1 Fault currents between the a.c. and d.c. bus

C.2 d.c. fault currents

C.3 a.c. fault currents

Appendix D

D.1 Safety

D.2 Periodic maintenance

D.3 Operation and maintenance procedures

Appendix E

E.1 Sample — PV array — Commissioning sheet

Appendix F

F.1 General

F.2 Open circuit voltage measurements

F.2.1 General

F.2.2 Procedure

F.2.3 PV arrays and PV sub arrays measurement

F.2.4 Records

F.3 Short circuit current

F.3.1 General

F.3.2 Procedure

F.3.3 Records

F.4 Infrared scan

F.5 PV array tracker operation test (if relevant)

F.6 PV array I-V curve

F.7 Earth fault protection test (if relevant)

F.7.1 General

F.7.2 Measurements

F.7.3 Procedure

Appendix G

G.1 General

G.1.1 General

G.1.2 Damage mechanisms

G.2 Lightning risk

G.2.1 PV array on a structure

G.2.2 Stand-alone PV array

G.3 Lightning protection system

G.3.1 Protection against direct strike

G.3.2 PV array downconductors

G.3.3 Earth termination network

G.4 Protection against overvoltage

G.4.1 d.c.. SPD selection

G.4.2 Installation and earthing of SPDs

G.4.3 Cable routing

G.5 Ground flash density maps

Appendix H

H.1 General

H.2 Worked examples

H.2.1 Selecting a switch disconnector for use with a separated inverter

H.2.1.1 Example arrangement

H.2.1.2 Solution

H.2.2 Selecting a switch disconnector for use with a non- separated inverter

H.2.2.1 Example arrangement

H.2.2.2 Solution

H.2.3 Selecting a switch disconnector for use with a non-separated inverter

H.2.3.1 Example arrangement

H.2.3.2 Solution

Appendix I

I.1 General

I.2 Test apparatus and set-up

I.2.1 Test apparatus

I.2.2 Test set-up

I.3 Spread of flame test

I.4 Burning brand test

I.4.1 General

I.4.2 Size and construction of brands

I.4.2.1 General

I.4.2.2 Fire safety class A

I.4.2.3 Fire safety class B

I.4.2.4 Fire safety class C

I.4.3 Ignition of brands

I.4.3.1 General

I.4.3.2 Fire safety class A

I.4.3.3 Fire safety class B

I.4.3.4 Fire safety class C

I.4.4 Test conditions

I.4.4.1 Fire safety class A test

I.4.4.2 Fire safety class B test

I.4.4.3 Fire safety class C test

I.4.5 Duration of test

I.5 Observations

I.6 Conditions of acceptance

Appendix J

Appendix K

K.1 Protected by a Soffit

K.2 Protected by a shroud

Bibliography

Cited references in this standard

AS/NZS IEC 60947.2:2015

[Current]

Low-voltage switchgear and controlgear, Part 2: Circuit-breakers

AS/NZS 60898.2:2004

[Current]

Circuit-breakers for overcurrent protection for household and similar installations, Part 2: Circuit-breakers for a.c. and d.c. operation (IEC 60898-2, Ed. 1.1 (2003) MOD)

AS/NZS 4777.2:2020

[Current]

Grid connection of energy systems via inverters, Part 2: Inverter requirements

AS/NZS 5139:2019

[Current]

Electrical installations - Safety of battery systems for use with power conversion equipment

NZS 4219

Seismic performance of engineering systems in buildings

Content history

AS/NZS 5033:2014

[Available Superseded]

AS/NZS 5033:2014 Amd 1:2018