STEPHEN KANE
, service
department director for
Namaste Solar in Boul-
der, Colo., (an American
Solar Energy Society busi-
ness member)
RICH CAPUTO
, founder of
the San Diego Renew-
able Energy Society and
an ASES Board member
W
e now have a working photovoltaic (PV) system on our house. We also have squirrels. [Our insurance provider] says they cannot insure against vermin chewing on our
PV wires. As such damage can be very costly, I want to take preventive action. If protecting PV
panel wires from squirrels is a problem (and I think it is), how come the solar energy industry
is silent and apparently inactive on this matter?
— Hilton Fitt-Peaster, boulder, Colo.
Animals chewing through wiring isn’t just expensive; it’s danger-
ous for both wildlife and humans. A squirrel chewing through
insulation can be electrocuted, blow an inverter fuse, start a fire
or leave a bare wire to shock someone working near the array.
Stephen Kane, service department director for Namaste Solar in
Boulder (an American Solar Energy Society business member),
says, “Squirrels, raccoons, mice, pigeons. You name it; we’ve seen
it try to nest under our arrays. In our climate, animals move in
under arrays in the spring months for protection from preda-
tors and the elements. A PV array makes a perfect framework
for building nests. Squirrels in particular love to chew on USE- 2
wire. It can be very expensive to fix. Our solution is to install a
skirt, or animal guard, around the edge of the array to physically
keep animals out. Though this adds scope and difficulty to our
installations, it serves as an insurance policy against future service
work. We believe this problem deserves the attention of module
and racking manufacturers. Individual installers developing their
own solutions yields mixed results relating to UV exposure and
grounding issues. For instance, a plastic skirt won’t conduct
electricity, but it may weaken with UV exposure and become
vulnerable to chewing. Metal screening is more durable but may
need its own ground circuit. Despite the challenges, we regard
animal guards as an essential component of a PV installation to
keep long-term [operations and maintenance] costs down.”
iStocKPhoto.coM/© Steve ShePaRd
W
ho else provides independent con- sumer-available testing results for PV
products?
— Pamela Cargill, alameda, Calif.
Rich Caputo, founder of the San Diego Renewable Energy
Society and an ASES Board member, says, “That’s easy. The
best place to find independent test results of photovoltaic
equipment is the database of the California Energy Commis-
sion. This lists modules, inverters and water-heating equip-
ment approved for state rebates — and provides data on their
efficiency.” For data on conventional (silicon and thin-film)
PV modules, see gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/equipment/pv_
modules.php. For data on concentrating solar equipment, see
gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/equipment/other.php. For inverter
performance figures, see gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/equipment/
inverters.php.
ST
got energy questions?
Submit them to aSeSexperts@solartoday.org. not all questions can be answered personally.
50
January/February 2011
SOLAR TODAY
solartoday.org
Copyright © 2011 by the American Solar Energy Society Inc. All rights reserved.
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