Greater insight into how solar standards are developed can help installers better implement their requirements, writes Nathan Smith, technical program specialist at the Clean Energy Council.
Australian solar standards such as AS/NZS 5033, AS/NZS 4777.1, AS/NZS 5139 and AS/NZS 3000 govern the minimum requirements for the products and practices used in solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage system installations in this country.
These documents are a necessary tool for installers working onsite, and all Clean Energy Council accredited people should be very familiar with their requirements.
While installers and designers typically understand what the standards require, a large proportion aren’t aware how the standards are developed and who decides the requirements. This lack of understanding leads many installers to direct their irritation at the standards themselves, a faceless committee or sometimes even the Clean Energy Council.
It is therefore important that installers and designers learn more about why we have standards, who writes them and how decisions about their content are made so they are better equipped to interpret and implement their requirements.
Standard development a detailed process
Standards Australia is the primary body responsible for the development of standards in Australia. It is the nation’s leading independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit standards organisation and is a representative of both the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission, which installers may recognise from the acronyms ISO and IEC, respectively.
Standards Australia brings together stakeholders from relevant sectors to form technical committees, which collaborate to develop and amend the standards. These committees represent the interests of relevant industry stakeholders.
For example, in the case of AS/NZS 5033:2021, the committee included the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council, the Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council, and industry and contractor bodies including the Clean Energy Council and Master Electricians Australia.
The revision or amendment of an existing standard, the creation of a new standard, or the identical or modified adoption of an international standard all follow a similar process.
It begins with a proposal to Standards Australia which then goes through a selection and prioritisation process. This proposal can be made by anyone in response to new technologies or challenges facing the industry that require standards to be adapted or changed to support the continued safe, consistent and reliable implementation of products and services.
Standards Australia then undertakes a proposal consultation with relevant stakeholders seeking their feedback on a proposal/development or revision of a standard. This applies to all proposals, including amendments, full revisions, new standards or a modified adoption.
Once a proposal has been approved, it is assigned to a technical committee. Before any new project work is commenced, Standards Australia reviews the constitution of the technical committee to ensure it continues to accurately represent relevant industry stakeholders.
The first stage after the project has been assigned to the committee is a kick-off meeting to discuss the scope of the project, tasks, timeframes and how to keep track of the project’s progress.
Drafting then brings on the standard, with working groups devised that provide the technical content that will eventually become the standard.
Once an initial draft has been developed by the committee, it is presented for public comment for a period of nine weeks. During this period, anyone interested in the draft standard can review and comment online.
Installers are encouraged to read the draft standards at this stage and submit a public comment if necessary.
As installers’ work is typically directly affected by the standards, they can offer valuable insight into the development of standards, and they play an important role in ensuring the best possible outcome for the industry is achieved.
All comments are then considered in detail by the technical committee, which may then result in additional drafting of the standard. When a final draft has been developed, a ballot is held where committee members vote to decide the final content of the draft.
When a consensus is achieved, the final draft of the standard is ready for final approval by the standards organisation, followed by publication.
Implementing and enforcing standards
While Standards Australia and the technical committees develop standards, they don’t enforce them, perform regulation or certify compliance with the standards. This duty falls to the state electrical safety regulators that are empowered through relevant government acts.
These bodies’ regulations and legislation dictate the implementation and application of the standards, ensure the continued safety of electrical installations within their jurisdiction, and make compliance to the relevant Australian standards mandatory.
The preface of a new or amended standard will sometimes, at the request of the committee, state a period of time where both the previous and new edition can be used.
After that date, the new edition supersedes the previous edition. However, this is not always the case, and occasionally shorter or longer implementations or requirements may be dictated by the regulators.
Multiple standards make solar industry unique
Unlike many other industries, where one standard can address all the information required for ensuring the safety of work practices, an interesting and occasionally frustrating quirk of the renewable energy industry is that it has many applicable standards.
For example, a simple domestic grid-connected PV system must comply with AS/NZS 5033 for the installation of the PV array, AS/NZS 4777.1 for the grid connection of the power conversion equipment, and AS/NZS 3000 for the entire installation, with AS/NZS 5139 also required if a battery is added to the system.
This can occasionally lead to confusion or conflicts related to which standards are applicable to each portion of an installation.
For example, AS/NZS 5033:2021 allows array voltages to exceed 600V, whereas AS/NZS 4777.1:2016 requires a maximum array voltage of 600V for grid-connected solar systems. These issues often require regulator clarification as a stopgap solution, and ultimately result in an amendment or complete rewrite of the standards.
The rapid innovation and growth of the renewable energy industry means the relevant standards are more regularly considered for amendment and revision than other standards.
Because solar installers must ensure work complies with multiple standards on each installation, it can be challenging to stay informed of the changes to relevant standards.
The Clean Energy Council is aware of these challenges facing installers and regularly creates content to support them in the implementation and interpretation of standards.
Currently, the Clean Energy Council is developing a new advice document to help installers understand how to apply the various standards to the relevant portions of an installation.
It is important for installers to remember that while it may occasionally seem as though standards are written by people behind desks who are just there to make life difficult, they are developed to protect the industry.
In addition to installers having the option to submit their thoughts on every standard during the public comment period, the technical committee comprises stakeholders with relevant industry experience and specific interests to ensure the requirements are concise, easy to understand and effective in maintaining a safe and robust industry for all.
