Outage Map
This page lists the major components and requirements of a solar generation system. This isn’t a complete list of what will be needed – your contractor or electrician can provide more information about the National Electric Code (NEC) requirements that will ensure your system is safe and reliable. However, this list will get you started in your planning.
Once designed, please include a simple one-line drawing and site plan for your system with the application.
Applications are processed on a per meter basis. If you are designing a generation system which will include multiple net meters, each meter should have its own application, one-line drawing, and site plan.
Panels:
The solar panels (sometimes called solar modules) convert sunlight into Direct Current (DC) electricity. The size and number of panels used helps determine the output of your system. Central Electric Cooperative doesn’t have any requirements regarding the type of solar panels you use.
Inverter:
The inverter converts DC electricity into Alternating Current (AC) electricity. Your house, and the rest of the energy grid, runs on AC electricity. Central Electric Cooperative requires your inverter to be IEEE 1 547 and UL 1 741 certified. These certification standards govern how your inverter will interact with the energy grid and ensure that your generation system won’t adversely affect you or your neighbors.
AC Disconnect Switch:
This is a safety component that allows your generation system to be turned off should anyone need to work on or near the electrical system and typically would only be used by emergency responders (such as a fireman or one of our linemen).
As a safety feature, the AC disconnect must be installed near the meter base so it can be quickly located and operated in an emergency. For CEC, the distance can be no more than 10 feet.
If there are extenuating circumstances, the AC disconnect switch may be located further from the meter if:
- Permission is obtained in writing from Central Electric Cooperative before the switch is installed.
- A permanent director placard is installed on the meter base which shows the precise location of the disconnect. See the Signage section below for more details.
The AC disconnect switch must be lockable (with a standard padlock), load-break rated, and plainly indicate whether it is in the open or closed position. Most knife-type safety switches meet these requirements and are commonly used.
Central Electric Cooperative does not allow breakers to be used in place of a disconnect switch. Though they meet most of the requirements, breakers typically cannot be locked with a standard padlock. While most breaker cabinets can be locked with a padlock, the NEC does not allow the energy company to prevent a customer from accessing their other breakers by locking the entire cabinet. Even if there were only a single breaker for the generation system in the cabinet, if the property were sold or transferred, the new owner could inadvertently install additional breakers in the cabinet, which would negate the ability of the original breaker to act as an AC disconnect switch. For these reasons, a dedicated switch is required for the AC disconnect.
Interconnection Hardware:
The connection between your generation system and the electrical system of your home or business is typically made through an UL-rated electrical panel. Please be sure your electrician follows NEC requirements for this connection.
The net meter measures the flow of power in two directions and is used to determine your bill. It also serves as a demarcation point between your generation system and the energy grid.
Please be aware that our standard meters only measure the amount of power flow, not the direction it is flowing. If you were to install a generation system without a net meter in place, the standard meter would record any extra power you generated as energy we delivered to you, and you would be billed for it. Please wait for the net meter to be installed before turning your system on.
Signage:
Central Electric Cooperative and the NEC require several permanent (metal or hard plastic) signs to be placed on components of your generation system. This is to prevent someone from inadvertently getting injured while working on or around your electric system. The signs should have a red background with white engraving.
The following signs are required by Central Electric Cooperative:
- On the meter base/ “Parallel Generation On Site”
- On the AC disconnect switch/ “Manual Disconnect for Parallel Generation”
Note: if multiple AC disconnect switches are used, the signs should be modified to include a count of the number of switches – ” 1 of 3″, ” 2 of 3″, and so forth.
In the event the AC disconnect switch is located distant from the meter (please see the AC disconnect Switch section for details), a permanent director placard showing the precise location of the AC disconnect is required on the meter base. This will allow someone to quickly locate and operate the AC disconnect switch in an emergency.
This placard should have a red background with white engraving, and a map-style layout is preferred. The lettering on the placard should be at least ¼” tall (comparable to 25 point Arial font) with the rest of the map sized to match.
Central Electric Cooperative needs to approve the design of the placard before the system is installed. Please include a copy of the proposed placard in a standard image file format (OPG, PNG, BMP, etc.) along with your application for review. Please note that a screenshot of an AutoCAD file will not be sufficient – the image file needs to look just like the placard which will be installed on the meter base.
Below are two examples of placards that could be used for a solar generation system.
Figure 1 – Single AC Disconnect Switch (5″ x5″ background)
Figure 2 – Dual AC Disconnect Switches (6″ x6″ background)