Is there any any recorded case to date of a UL 1741 inverter
backfeeding the grid and causing harm?
At 05:27 PM 11/23/2015, you wrote:
Gary:
Here in the North Texas area, for the Oncor TDSP (Transmission and
Distribution Service Provider), an 8-page Interconnection Agreement
(IA) is required before a DG (distributed generation) system can
become grid-interactive.
The Oncor IA is a legal agreement signed by the DG system owner and
Oncor. It is very specific about the owner's liabilities and
responsibilities for their DG system.
If an IA is required in Ohio between your customer and the serving
TDSP, the customer's liabilities and responsibilities should be
described in that document.
Whether or not there is a TDSP IA requirement in Ohio, I suggest
that your customer discuss their liability concerns with their home
owner or business insurance provider. It's possible that additional
liability coverage may be appropriate to protect your customer, or
possibly required by the insurance provider.
Regards,
Gary Willett PE
Icarus Engineering & Solar Services
Here's the liability section excerpt from the Oncor Interconnection Agreement:
4. Limitation of Liability and indemnification
4a. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Agreement, with
respect to Company's provision of electric service to Customer,
Company's liability to Customer shall be limited as set forth in
Section 4.2.1 of Company's PUC-approved tariffs and terms and
conditions for electric service which is incorporated herein by reference.
4b. Neither Company nor Customer shall be liable to the other for
damages for any act that is beyond such party's control, including
any event that is a result of an act of God, labor disturbance, act
of the public enemy, war, insurrection, riot, fire, storm or flood,
explosion, breakage or accident to machinery or equipment, a
curtailment, order, or regulation or restriction imposed by
governmental, military, or lawfully established civilian
authorities, or by the making of necessary repairs upon the property
or equipment of either party.
4c. Notwithstanding Paragraph 4.b of this Agreement, Company shall
assume a/I liability for and shall indemnify Customer for any
claims, losses, costs, and expenses of any kind or character to the
extent that they result from Company's negligence in connection with
the design, construction, or operation of its facilities as
described on Exhibit A; provided, however, that Company shall have
no obligation to indemnify Customer for claims brought by claimants
who cannot recover directly from Company. Such indemnity shall
include, but is not limited to, financial responsibility for: (a)
Customer's monetary losses; (b) reasonable costs and expenses of
defending an action or claim made by a third person; (c) damages
related to the death or injury of a third person; (d) damages to the
property of Customer; (e) damages to the property of a third person;
(f) damages for the disruption of the business of a third person. In
no event shall Company be liable for consequential, special,
incidental or punitive damages, including, without limitation, loss
of profits, loss of revenue, or loss of production. The Company does
not assume liability for any costs for damages arising from the
disruption of the business of the Customer or for the Customer's
costs and expenses of prosecuting or defending an action or claim
against the Company. This paragraph does not create a liability on
the part of the Company to the Customer or a third person, but
requires indemnification where such liability exists. The
limitations of liability provided in this paragraph do not apply in
cases of gross negligence or intentional wrongdoing.
4d. Notwithstanding Paragraph 4.b of this Agreement, Customer shall
assume all liability for and shall indemnify Company for any claims,
losses, costs, and expenses of any kind or character to the extent
that they result from Customer's negligence in connection with the
design, construction or operation of its facilities as described on
Exhibit A; provided, however, that Customer shall have no obligation
to indemnify Company for claims brought by claimants who cannot
recover directly from Customer. Such indemnity shall include, but is
not limited to, financial responsibility for: (a) Company's monetary
losses; (b) reasonable costs and expenses of defending an action or
claim made by a third person; (c) damages related to the death or
injury of a third person; (d) damages to the property of Company;
(e) damages to the property of a third person; (f) damages for the
disruption of the business of a third person. In no event shall
Customer be liable for consequential, special, incidental or
punitive damages, including, without limitation, loss of profits,
loss of revenue, or loss of production. The Customer does not assume
liability for any costs for damages arising from the disruption of
the business of the Company or for the Company's costs and expenses
of prosecuting or defending an action or claim against the Customer.
This paragraph does not create a liability on the part of the
Customer to the Company or a third person, but requires
indemnification where such liability exists. The limitations of
liability provided in this paragraph do not apply in cases of gross
negligence or intentional wrongdoing.
4e. Company and Customer shall each be responsible for the safe
installation, maintenance, repair and condition of their respective
lines and appurtenances on their respective sides of the point of
delivery. The Company does not assume any duty of inspecting the
Customer's lines, wires, switches, or other equipment and will not
be responsible therefore. Customer assumes all responsibility for
the electric service supplied hereunder and the facilities used in
connection therewith at or beyond the point of delivery, the point
of delivery being the point where the electric energy first leaves
the wire or facilities provided and owned by Company and enters the
wire or facilities provided by Customer.
On 11/22/15 3:19 PM, gary easton wrote:
Hello Wrenches,
I have an electrical engineer customer that asked me a "what if"
that I had not heard before. If an inverter somehow back feeds the
grid during an outage and damages something or hurts someone who is liable?
--
Gary Easton
Appalachian Renewable Power
Stewart, Ohio 45778
NABCEP Certified Solar
PV
T: 740-277-8498
<http://www.arp-solar.com>www.arp-solar.com
"First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight
you. Then you win."
~Ghandi
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