Construction documents must include information about the as-designed structural loads and plans for interconnecting a PV and SWH system to the electrical or plumbing systems of the building.
The structural design load requirements apply if any portion of the solar zone is located on the roof of the building. For the areas of the roof designated as the solar zone, the structural design loads for roof dead load and roof live load shall be clearly indicated on the construction documents. This is required so that the structural loads are known if a solar energy system is installed in the future.
The Energy Standards do not require the roof on which the solar zone is located to be designed taking the loads of the solar equipment into consideration. In other words, there are no requirements for the inclusion of any collateral loads for future solar energy systems.
All buildings that must include a solar zone must also include a plan for connecting a PV or SWH system to the electrical or plumbing system of the building. The construction documents must indicate:
1. A location for inverters and metering equipment for future solar electric systems. The allocated space should be appropriately sized for a PV system that would cover the entire solar zone.
2. A pathway for routing conduit from the solar zone to the point of interconnection with the electrical service. There is no requirement to install conduit. Rather, the design drawings must show where the conduit would be installed if a system were installed at a future date.
3. A pathway for routing of plumbing from the solar zone to the water-heating system. There is no requirement to install piping.
A copy of the construction documents that show the solar zone, the structural design loads, and the interconnection pathways must be provided to the building occupant. The building occupant must also receive a copy of compliance documents number NRCC-SRA-01-E, and NRCC-SRA-02-E. Providing information to the building occupant is required so that the solar ready information is available if the occupant decides to install a solar energy system in the future.