Evergreen Solar ES-A-190, ES-A-195, ES-A-200, ES-A-205, ES-A-210 Safety, Installation, And Operation Manual
ES-A Series Photovoltaic Panels - Black Frames
Safety, Installation and Operation Manual
This Manual is valid in North America only (ETL listed; conforms to UL Standard 1703)
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Evergreen Solar ES-A Series photovoltaic (PV, solar electric) panels are designed to produce DC electrical energy from light. This manual
contains important safety, installation and operating information with which you should be familiar before using Evergreen Solar panels.
General Information
• All installation and safety instructions should be understood before
attempting to install, wire, operate and maintain the panel.
• When installing, observe all local, regional, national and
international statutory regulations, guidelines, norms and code
requirements.
• Installation or maintenance should only be performed by qualied
professionals, in accordance with local requirements.
• Panels produce voltage even when not connected to an electrical
circuit or load. Panels produce nearly full voltage when exposed to
as little as 5% of full sunlight, and both elec trical c urrent and power
increase with light intensity.
• Panels can produce higher output than the rated specications.
• Industry standard rated specications are made at conditions of
1000W/m2 irradiance and 25°C (77ºF) solar cell temperature. Colder
temperatures can substantially increase voltage and power.
• Ensure that panels are only subjected to ambient temperatures in the
range - 40 to +80°C (-40 to +176°F).
• Reection from snow, water or other surfaces can increase light
and therefore increase both the current and power generated by
the panel.
• Do not articially concentrate light on the panel.
• Panels are intended for outdoors, land-based applications only.
Panels are not intended for indoor use or application on moving
vehicles of any kind.
• Excluded applications also include, but are not limited to,
installations where panels come into contact with salt water or
where likely to become partially or wholly submerged in fresh or
salt water, examples of which include boats, docks and buoys.
• Use only equipment, connec tors, wiring and support frames
suitable for use in a solar electric system.
• Follow all safety precautions of other used components.
• Each panel is marked with a serial number, including the date
of manufacture and the manufacturing location. Example:
XXxxYYYYMMDDzzzzzzz
- XX = country code (49 for Germany, 01 for US)
- xx = manufacturing building code, can be 01 or higher
- YY YY = year, MM = month, DD = day
- zzzzzzz = serial number
Handling Safety
• Do not use the junction box to hold or transport the panel.
• Do not stand or step on the panel.
• Do not drop panel or allow objects to fall on panel.
• Do not damage or scratch the rear surface of the panel.
• Avoid set ting the panel down hard on any sur face, particularly
when placing it on a corner.
•
Do not disassemble, modif y or adapt the panel or remove any part or
labeling installed by Evergreen Solar. Doing so will void the warranty.
• Do not drill holes in the frame or glass of the panel. Doing so will
void the warranty.
• Do not apply paint or adhesive to the rear surface of the panel.
• Never leave a panel unsupported or unsecured.
• Panels are constructed with tempered glass, but must still be
handled with care.
• A panel with broken glass or torn back-skin cannot be repaired and
must not be used since contact with any panel sur face or th e f rame
can produce electrical shock.
• Broken or damaged panels must be handled carefully and
disposed of properly. Broken glass can be sharp and cause injury
if not handled with the appropriate protective equipment.
• Work only under dry conditions, and use only dry tools. Do not
handle panels when they are wet unless wearing the appropriate
protective equipment.
•
When storing un-connected panels outside for any length of time, always
cover panels which have the glass facing down to stop water collecting
inside the panel and causing damage to exposed connectors.
Installation Safety
• Keep children away from the system and panels when installing.
• Do not carry out installation work when there are strong winds.
• When installing panels above ground, avoid any possible falling or
other safety hazards by following appropriate safety practices and
using required safety equipment.
• Solar electric panels have no on/off switch. Panels can be rendered
inoperative only be removing them from light, or by fully covering
their front surface with an opaque material, or by working with
panels face down on a smooth, at surface.
• When work ing with panels in light, follow all applicable
regulation regarding working with live electrical equipment.
• Do not touch electrical terminals or the ends of any wire while the
panel is exposed to light or while installing the panel.
• Do not wear metallic jewelry while performing mechanical or
electrical installation.
• Never open electrical connections or unplug connectors while the
circuit is under load.
• Contact with electrically active parts of the panels, such as
terminals, can result in burns, sparks and lethal shock whether the
panel is connected or disconnected.
• Always use insulated tools and rubber gloves that are approved for
working on electrical installations.
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Valid from 1st June 2009 / IM-ES-A_fa3_US_010609_ETL © 2009 Evergreen Solar, Inc.
ES-A Series Photovoltaic Panels - Black Frames
Safety, Installation and Operation Manual
Fire Safety
• Refer to your local authority for guidelines and requirements for
building or structural re safety.
• The roof construction and installation may affect the re safety of
a building; improper installation may contribute to hazards in the
event of re.
• For roof application, the panels sh ould be mounted over a fire
resistant covering rated for the application.
• It may be neces sary to use components such as earth ground
fault circuit breakers, fuses and circuit breakers.
• Do not use panels near equipment or locations where ammable
gases can be generated or can collect.
Electrical Installation
• Avoid all electrical hazards when installing, wiring, operating and
maintaining a panel.
• If the total DC system voltage exceeds 100V, the system must be
installed, commissioned and maintained by a qualied professional,
in accordance with local requirements.
• Contact with a DC voltage 30V or more is potentially hazardous.
• Do not use panels of different electrical or physical congurations
in the same system.
• The maximum open circuit voltage of the system must not be
greater than the specied maximum system voltage for the panel.
• All Evergreen Solar panels are equipped with factory-installed wires
and quick connectors. Panels have been designed to be easily
interconnected in series.
• Evergreen Solar ES-A series panels are equipped with MultiContact® Type 4 clickable connectors. In order to comply with
the 2008 National Electric Code for accessible arrays, the plug
connection must be secured with the UL approved, pluggable
safety lock clip (PV-SSH4) supplied by Multi-Contact®.
• The PV-SSH4 clip is not provided by Evergreen Solar and must
be purchased separately. Once the clip is installed, the PV plug
connection can only be unlocked with the use of the PV-MS tool,
also supplied by Multi-Contact®.
• Evergreen Solar ES-A series panels are also equipped with 10AWG,
UL4703 certied PV-WIRE which enables the panels to be used in
electrically ungrounded systems with transformer-less inverters.
• Use system wiring with suitable cross-sectional areas and connectors
that are approved for use at the maximum shor t-circuit current of
the panel.
• Match the polarities of cables and terminals when making the
connections; failure to do so may result in damage to the panel.
• When reverse currents can exceed the value of the maximum
protective fuse marked on the back of the panel, a properly rated
and certied over-current device (fuse or circuit breaker) must be
connected in series with each panel or string of panels.
• The rating of the over-current device shall not exceed the value of
the maximum protective fuse marked on the back of the panel.
• The panel contains factory installed bypass diodes located inside
the junc tion box.
• The junction box is not designed or certied to be eld accessible
or maintainable and should under no circumstances be opened.
Opening the junc tion box may void the warranty.
• Panels with a suspected electrical problem should be returned to
Evergreen Solar for inspection and possible repair or replacement
as per the warranty conditions provided by Evergreen Solar.
MC® is a regi stere d trademark of Multi-Contact AG
Grounding
• Panel frames should be connected to an earth ground for safety
and protection from lightning.
• The panel frame is provided with grounding holes that
accommodate self-tapping screws. If grounding holes are utilized,
a #10-32 stainless steel thread cutting screw is required.
• The following specic grounding methods utilizing thread cutting
screws have been successfully tested with ES-A panels to the
UL1703 standard. This does not prohibit the use of other methods,
providing that all applicable codes and standards are met.
Device Part No. Material Bonding Method to Frame
ILSCO GBL-4DBT Tin plated • 10-32 cutting screw at
lay-in lug copper grounding hole locations.
Tyco SolKip
lay-in lug 1954381-1 plated with behind the screw to create
tin over a positive means of
nickel attachment to the frame.
• 10-32 cutting screw at
grounding hole locations.
Cutting • The use of a nut is required
screw with
3 washers N/A Stainless a positive means of
(2 cupped,
1 star) •
placed between 2 cupped
washers and around the
10-32 cutting screw.
• A star washer is required
• Evergreen panels can also be grounded using third party
grounding washers or clip devices provided the devices are
listed and identied for grounding the metallic frames of PV
panels and the devices are installed in accordance with the
manufacturer’s specied instructions.
Mechanical Installation
• Panels should be mounted to maximize direct exposure to sunlight
and to eliminate or minimize shadowing.
• Even partial shadowing can substantially reduce panel and system
output.
• Panels must be securely fastened using support frames or
mounting kits specialized for PV applications.
• Panels may be mounted at any angle from vertical to horizontal
orientation.
• Care must be taken to avoid low tilt angles which may cause dirt to
build-up on the glass against the frame edge.
• Dirt build-up on the surface of the panel can cause active solar
cells to be shaded and electrical performance to be impaired.
• Contact Evergreen Solar for more information regarding minimum
recommended tilt angles for specic panel produc ts.
• For roof mounted systems, provide adequate rear ventilation
under a panel for cooling (100mm: 4 in. gap minimum).
• Clearance of 7mm:¼ in or more between panels is required to
allow for thermal expansion of the frames.
• Always keep the back surface of the panel free from any foreign
objects or structural elements which could come into contact with
the panel, especially when the panel is under mechanical load.
Copper alloy
steel attachment to the frame.
• The use of a nut is required
behind the screw to create
The grounding wire must be
between the panel
frame and the cupped
washer to ensure that the
frame anodized layer is
penetrated.
2 of 4 Valid from 1st June 2009 / IM-ES-A_fa3_US_010609_ETL © 2009 Evergreen Solar, Inc.
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