IEC 60364-7-712:2017

Low voltage electrical installations – Part 7-712: Requirements for special installations or locations – Solar photovoltaic (PV) power supply systems

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has released IEC 60364-7-712:2017 for “Low voltage electrical installations – Part 7-712: Requirements for special installations or locations – Solar photovoltaic (PV) power supply systems”.

Description: “IEC 60364-7-712:2017 applies to the electrical installation of PV systems intended to supply all or part of an installation. The equipment of a PV installation, like any other item of equipment, is dealt with only so far as its selection and application in the installation is concerned. This new edition includes significant revisions and extensions, taking into account experience gained in the construction and operation of PV installations, and developments made in technology, since the first edition of this standard was published.”

Scope:

This part of IEC 60364 applies to the electrical installation of PV systems intended to supply all or part of an installation.

The equipment of a PV installation, like any other item of equipment, is dealt with only so far as its selection and application in the installation is concerned.

A PV installation starts from a PV module or a set of PV modules connected in series with their cables, provided by the PV module manufacturer, up to the user installation or the utility supply point (point of common coupling).

Requirements of this document apply to

• PV installations not connected to a system for distribution of electricity to the public,
• PV installations in parallel with a system for distribution of electricity to the public,
• PV installations as an alternative to a system for distribution of electricity to the public,
• appropriate combinations of the above. This document does not cover the specific installation requirements for batteries or other energy storage methods.

NOTE 1 Additional requirements for PV installations with battery storage capabilities on the DC side are under consideration.

NOTE 2 This document does cover the protection requirements of PV arrays which develop as a result of the use of batteries in PV installations.

For systems using DC-DC converters, additional requirements regarding voltage and current rating, switching, and protective devices can apply. These requirements are under consideration.

The object of this document is to address the design safety requirements arising from the particular characteristics of PV installations. DC systems, and PV arrays in particular, pose some hazards in addition to those derived from conventional AC power installations, including the ability to produce and sustain electrical arcs with currents that are not greater than normal operating currents.

In grid connected PV installations the safety requirements of this document are, however, critically dependent on the PCE associated with PV arrays complying with the requirements of IEC 62109-1 and IEC 62109-2.