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 document NRCC-SRA-E. The document copies are required so that the solar-ready information is available if the occupant decides to install a solar energy system in the future. This requirement is not applicable if compliance is achieved by using Exceptions 1, 2, 4 and 5 in lieu of a designated solar zone.
Example 9-6
Question:
An office building has a total roof area of 5,000 sq. ft. The total roof area covered by skylights is 200 sq. ft. A solar PV system with a DC power rating (measured under standard test conditions) of 4 kilowatts (kW) will be installed. The collection panels for the 4 kW system will cover 400 sq. ft. Does the building have to have to include a solar zone in addition to the installed solar PV system?
Answer:
Yes. To be exempt from the solar zone requirement, the solar PV system must have a power rating equal to 1 watt for every sq. ft of roof area, or in this case 5 kW (see equation below).
Minimum PV System Power Rating =Total Roof Area x 1 Watt per sq.ft
5,000W= 5000 sq.ft × 1W/sq.ft
The minimum solar zone for this building is 720 SF. (See calculation below.) The 400 SF on which the solar PV system is installed does count toward the minimum solar zone area, so an additional 320 sq. ft would need to be allocated to complete the minimum solar zone requirement.
Minimum Solar Zone Area=15% x (Total Roof Area-Area Covered by Skylights)
720 SF= 15% x (5,000 sq.ft×200 sq.ft)