PV power systems, the 2002 National Electrical Code®, and beyond

The 2002 National Electrical Code® (NEC)® was legislated into law in many states and cities on January 1, 2002. Article 690 of the NEC, which covers photovoltaic power systems, contains changes that will affect how photovoltaic systems are installed and inspected over the next three years. More than 30 changes were made in Article 690 in the 2002 NEC. While some of these were merely editorial and format changes, many dealt with technical requirements associated with disconnects, batteries, and wiring. Additionally, sections of this article were revised for clarity and several definitions were added. This paper presents the important technical revisions accepted in Article 690 of the 2002 NEC. Work has already begun on revising Article 690 of the 2002 Code for publication in the 2005 NEC. Proposed changes ranging from additional clarifications to new language allowing ungrounded photovoltaic arrays are being considered as proposals for the 2005 NEC.