William, I've never had an AHJ request pictures in lieu of a physical inspection but I've personally performed many inspections as a third-party inspector using photos. As long as you have quality pictures a good inspector can find most major issues. The key is having good photos of the proper equipment. At the very least they should be able to identify when a physical inspection is necessary.
I'm all for remote inspections which saves time and money for everyone involved. Thanks, Will On Wed, Mar 31, 2021 at 1:37 PM William Miller <will...@millersolar.com> wrote: > Friends: > > > > We just finished a grid-tied project > <https://millersolar.com/MillerSolar/Portfolio/Rework/BIG-SUR-SERVICE/Big_Sur_Service_Upgrade.html> > that included a pretty complicated service upgrade. The project is in > Monterey County, California. The site is pretty remote on the south end of > the Big Sur coastline and Highway 1 is closed (as is not uncommon) to the > north with a washout. This makes it time consuming for an inspector to > reach the site, but even without the washout the travel time is measured in > hours. > > > > Days in advance we scheduled the final inspection on the building > department web-site as is SOP and were awarded a slot for yesterday. > Yesterday morning an inspector called at 7:30 AM to announce they were too > busy to make the appointment. Instead I was directed to take a series of > photographs to verify the validity of our installation work. Below is the > list they provided. Note how vague the requirements are, particularly the > fifth one. I was told that this process will be standard operation > procedure for the County of Monterey in the near future for solar > installs. > > > > This seems wrong to me. I can’t believe that any collection of > photographs can accurately portray if even the most simple photovoltaic > system, let alone one with a 300 amp CT service and 400 amp transfer > switch, is installed correctly. I know in the 1980s the solar water > heating industry had acquired a collective black-eye due to shoddy > installation procedures and I fear this is where the PV industry may be > headed. > > > > I submitted a handful of photos and was granted a final approval. I have > very mixed feelings about this “success.” I feel like I cheated on a > test. > > > > I am curious if any of you have had a similar experience to this. As > always I am informed and sometimes amused by what I learn on this forum. > > > > List of requested photographs: > > > > ☐ PV module model number, quantity, and location according to the > approved plan. > > ☐ Roof penetrations flashed/sealed according to the approved plan. > > ☐ Array exposed cables are properly secured, supported, and routed to > prevent physical damage. > > ☐ Grounding/bonding of rack and modules according to the manufacturer’s > installation instructions. > > ☐ Equipment installed, listed and labeled according to the approved plan > (e.g., PV modules, dc/dc converters, combiners, inverters, rapid shutdown > equipment). > > ☐ Overcurrent devices are the type and size according to the approved > plan. > > ☐ Disconnects according to the approved plan and properly located as > required by the NEC. > > ☐ PV system markings, labels and signs according to the approved plan. > > ☐ Connection of the PV system to the grounding electrode system according > to the approved plan. > > ☐ Access and working space for operation and maintenance of PV equipment > such as inverters, disconnecting means and panelboards (not required for > PV modules) [NEC 110.26]. > > ☐ The rapid shutdown system is installed and operational according to the > approved plan [NEC 690.12]. > > > > > > William Miller > > > > Miller Solar > > 17395 Oak Road, Atascadero, CA 93422 > > 805-438-5600 > > www.millersolar.com > > CA Lic. 773985 > > > > > _______________________________________________ > List sponsored by Redwood Alliance > > List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org > > Change listserver email address & settings: > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > There are two list archives for searching. When one doesn't work, try the > other: > https://www.mail-archive.com/re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org/ > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > List rules & etiquette: > http://www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm > > Check out or update participant bios: > http://www.members.re-wrenches.org > > -- *Will White* Curriculum Developer e: w...@solarenergy.org w: www.solarenergy.org p: 802-272-3092 NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional # 093006-34 Do you envision a world powered by renewable energy? Be the change <http://solarenergy.org/donate>.
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