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UL Releases Infosheet on Safety Considerations for Solar Lighting Systems
There are many considerations including safety that are evaluated in a full system certification for [solar lighting systems],” outlines a new infosheet from UL, the global leader in safety certification of electrical equipment.
Urban Solar is proud to offer solar lighting systems for transit and area lighting applications that are UL-listed at a system level (i.e. the system is tested as a complete unit to the appropriate UL standard, as opposed to only using UL-listed components). The new infosheet from UL discusses the value of the UL mark to Urban Solar clients.
From UL: “The evaluation of the [solar lighting] system needs to consider the requirements of UL 1741, the Standard for Inverters, Converters, Controllers and Interconnection System Equipment for Use With Distributed Energy Resources, and the new system level Standard UL 8801, the Outline of Investigation for Photovoltaic-Powered Luminaire Systems.”
Per the infosheet, this standard considers:
1. Temperature limits when all four major heat-producing components (PV module, battery, control and luminaire) are within the same housing.
2. Outdoor ratings including rain, heat and cold exposure.
3. Impact resistance of exterior electronic components like the PV module.
4. Battery charging system tests like charging/discharging.
In other words, the system-level testing goes far over and above simply incorporating UL Listed or recognized components into a solar lighting system. The result: customers can be assured that their systems are safe and potential legal liability associated with deploying unlisted electrical systems is eliminated.
Joe Meer, Director of Procurement at Morongo Basin Transit Authority sums it up: “Standards can be very low or nonexistent when you are specifying solar lighting equipment. Requiring a Listing mark among other requirements sets a bar for safety and quality for the manufacturers that works with us.”
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