NABCEP Regulatory Compliance & Industry Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: NEC 690.12 requires rapid shutdown of PV systems on buildings. Within how many seconds must conductors inside the array boundary be de-energized to below 80V?
- 5 seconds
- 10 seconds
- 15 seconds (Correct answer)
- 30 seconds
Correct answer: 15 seconds
NEC 690.12 requires that PV system conductors within the array boundary be de-energized to 80V or less within 15 seconds of rapid shutdown initiation.
Question 2: Which standard governs the installation of electrical wiring and equipment in hazardous (classified) locations that might apply to battery rooms in solar+storage systems?
- NEC Article 690
- NEC Article 480
- NEC Article 500 (Correct answer)
- NEC Article 702
Correct answer: NEC Article 500
NEC Article 500 covers electrical installations in hazardous classified locations where flammable gases or vapors (like hydrogen from lead-acid batteries) may be present.
Question 3: Under NABCEP's Code of Ethics, what must a certificate holder do if they identify a safety hazard on a previously installed system they did not install?
- Immediately shut down the system without notifying the owner
- Document the hazard and inform the system owner (Correct answer)
- Report the hazard only to the AHJ
- Ignore it if not contracted for that system
Correct answer: Document the hazard and inform the system owner
NABCEP's Code of Ethics requires certificate holders to protect public safety, including informing system owners of identified hazards regardless of who installed the system.
Question 4: A battery energy storage system (BESS) installed in a residence must comply with which NFPA standard in addition to the NEC?
- NFPA 13
- NFPA 70E
- NFPA 855 (Correct answer)
- NFPA 101
Correct answer: NFPA 855
NFPA 855 is the Standard for the Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems and provides requirements for safe siting, protection, and installation of battery systems.
Question 5: Which federal law requires disclosure of potential environmental impacts before a large utility-scale solar project on federal land can proceed?
- Clean Air Act
- National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (Correct answer)
- Endangered Species Act
- Federal Land Policy and Management Act
Correct answer: National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
NEPA requires federal agencies to assess environmental effects of proposed major federal actions, including issuing permits for utility-scale solar on federal land.
Question 6: An interconnection application for a system over 25 kW AC on a distribution feeder typically follows which FERC interconnection process?
- Small Generator Interconnection Procedures (SGIP) (Correct answer)
- Large Generator Interconnection Procedures (LGIP)
- Net Energy Metering Agreement
- Simplified Interconnection Process
Correct answer: Small Generator Interconnection Procedures (SGIP)
FERC Order 2006 established SGIP for generators under 20 MW (sometimes extended to 25 kW threshold by utilities) connecting to distribution systems.
Question 7: Under NEC Article 705, a PV system connected to the utility grid is classified as which type of power source?
- Separately derived system
- Interactive system (Correct answer)
- Standalone power system
- Transfer switched system
Correct answer: Interactive system
NEC Article 705 defines interconnected electric power production sources; a grid-tied PV system is an interactive (utility-interactive) system.
NABCEP Regulatory Compliance & Industry Standards 3
NEC 690.12 requires rapid shutdown of PV systems on buildings.
Within how many seconds must conductors inside the array boundary be de-energized to below 80V?