Hello, sorry if this has been addressed before, I tried to do a search but wasn't finding what I need. I'm really wanting to install server rack style LiFePO4 batteries and want some input.
It seems that even for an off grid install in our area, the batteries need to be UL certified to get a permit. I'm able to find quite a few of these that have UL listed cells but not the entire battery. I'm trying to confirm what the exact requirements are in our municipality but are there actually any of these server rack style batteries that are fully UL certified? I know SOK is in the process but not anticipated for awhile. Any thoughts would be appreciated, thanks in advance!
FIRST: do your own research. The following comes from my research and I would *love* to find out if I'm not correct, so please use this as a starting point and not the last word. This is a complex topic that can be summarized as: "Does all the equipment need to be UL 1741 certified to pass inspection for the electrical permit?
Scope: I'm working on a permitted install of solar panels, a backup battery, inverter to run some small loads (outdoor lighting) and provide emergency backup power in a grid-down situation. Not doing any grid-tie or sell back.
Have been looking into this issue and for off-grid storage, NEC2020 (and earlier) have a UL safety standard 1741 that applies. I found out there is a European counterpart called IEC62109 (1)(2) was derived from UL1741 but I have no evidence that NEC2020 accepts this standard. I was hoping I could substitute the IEC for UL.
(I found documentation from 2004 indicating that they were trying to develop international standards, but no idea if that succeeded. I looked to see if the IEC62109 was in the NEC2020 but was unable to confirm that it is/was.)
If you go look at the scope of UL 1741 on the UL site (links below) you will see what it applies to: which are most of the system components I need for my installation. As I have been at this for months, be careful of web sites saying their stuff is UL certified. For example they may try and trick you by quoting a single sub-section of UL to try and convince it is UL compliant when it isn't (at least for my purposes). Someone in the thread mentioned UL9540A - this standard is related to run-away lithium battery safety which does not mean it is UL1741 compliant. Some examples below are not examples of people being deceptive - but it demonstrates how confusing this topic is. I could point at some chinese equipment manufacturers tho, where I have drawn a different conclusion.
For Permitting under NEC (national electric code Sep 2019) now widely adopted in the US, it "appears" that all components in the system need to be UL1741 certified. I have come to this position when I was reading up on what is required to put the panels on my house and discovered
that ALL the components - panels AND panel mounting racks would need to be UL listed as a 'system'... extending that a bit, then that would also include the Rapid Shutdown equipment, the Rapid shutdown control module, the combiner box and its manual switch that stops panel power to the MPPT/inverter *and batteries*.
So in an attempt to sort this out, I have provided some links that I found during my research:
1. Notice the IEC 62109-1 (2010) cert (equivalent to 1741) on this MMPT product:
https://www.victronenergy.com/uploa...martSolar-MPPT-150-45-up-to-250-70-VE.Can.pdf
I'm not quibbling about the quality of the Victron equipment, but I'm guessing that while the equipment was tested by a different lab to UL1741 standards. There is a more detailed example below.
2. Eventually I found the following UL web sites because I could not get a clear picture from mfr-supplied materials.
https://standardscatalog.ul.com/ProductDetail.aspx?productId=UL1741 and
https://www.ul.com/services/digital-applications/ul-certification-database - which you can use to look up items that have been UL certified. 1. you have to pick a country to get the Search to work. 2. Click "find a product certification". 3. Underneath the Login buttons you will see "Search Abridged site without Login" - click on that link. 4. Click on the search bar at the top and type in "1741" or "Tigo" or "Victron" "SMA" -
3. I definitely have some questions about the items that pop up in the UL search. For example: see if you can find any of the products listed by the Vendor in this link: and look at the bottom of Page 2: "Applicable Requirements" - UL 1741 (ed.2). It appears they were tested to the standard - but those products do not show up in the UL search.
https://www.victronenergy.com/uploa...lueSolar-&-SmartSolar-MPPTs-up-to-150-100.pdf
Not sure what this means, but if it doesn't have a UL stamp, regardless of what the vendor did, I don't know how you'd convince an inspector that it was UL 1741 compliant. Which goes right back to the "what equipment can I use to pass inspection?"
Now I sincerely HOPE that I am wrong here as I already bought some stuff that is now looking like it will be liquidated and I'll have to substantially start over with Outback, Midnight solar or some other clearly UL1741 stamped gear. No idea what to do about the battery tho (cost of storage may price me out of my project).
Couple of things to keep in mind: 1). The MPP Solar, Growatt, EG4 equipment seems to be ok for RV'g, boats, etc and might work just fine for things like a garage or other non-dwelling unit or charging your electric car. 2). The rules re: solar panels are not as strict if you don't have the panels on a dwelling. I'm a fan of the Victron equipment and capabilities (although it is not cheap - they piece meal the components into a high price tag). So if you are doing those types of applications - proceed with one eye open!
Lastly if you are going to get a permit, go look for your municipalities' building permit site and review all the codes related to positioning panels on your roof (wind areas, fire codes, height restrictions... ) so you know what you are getting into. I had to answer 20 questions a specific way to avoid getting a building permit for just mounting the panels- and what I need to do 'failed' the test. Be prepared for Wind loads, snow loads, weight of the panels, fire class (must be A or B) rating for panels, etc...
