The Australian Clean Energy Council (CEC) have introduced a new listing process for off and on grid connect inverters which will shortly be available. “The new procedure will capture recent changes to standards and offer more information to designers, installers and end users.”

Companies who have products listed on the current inverter list (grid connect and offgrid) must seek testing and re-certification as soon as possible to make sure their compliant products are on the new list, which will be introduced on 16 July 2013.

Steps to list inverters via the new process:
1 Applicants must use the online listing form (available shortly) to lodge an application. The CEC will email a link to this form to all inverter listing companies once it is available. Forms must be fully complete to be accepted by the administrator of the CEC.

2 When completing the form, applicants must attach a Certificates of Approval provided from a recognised certification organisation, or a Certificate of Suitability from an appropriate state authority, such as as our company ASA (Australian Safety Approvals). Listing turnover will be five yearly for Certificates.

Note Certificates of Approval/Suitability and Test Reports can list multiple inverters or the inverter range.

3 Applicants then need to attach their test reports which must be from an accredited laboratory such as Austest Labs Sydney.

4 Applicants must tick that they agree to three declarations listed on the online application relating to:

A). RCM requirements

B). Firmware/software upgrade

C). Equipment safety

5 Applicants then need to complete technical information on the application form, including topology, number of phases, max DC voltage, number of MPPT, MPPT range, rated AC current and nominal AC power.

6 Applicants can upload a specification sheet in PDF format and an automatic calculator will provide CEC maximum array size (based on the CEC Design Guidelines). The manufacturer can then tick the box to agree that this is within their inverter limits and if not they can provide their maximum allowable array size.

7 After all this information has been provided, applicants will need to pay a nominal fee of $200 +GST per application (up to 10 inverters per application). This payment can be made online or the CEC can email an invoice to the company.

8 The CEC retains the right to delist a product that it deems to be non-compliant and retains the right not to list products due to insufficient or false documentation.

Note Austest Laboratories provides CEC listing free of charge to existing clients and a nominal fee to list inverters with Western Power.

Austest is fully accredited for testing grid connected and off grid inverters to IEC 62109‐1:2010, IEC 62109‐2:2011, AS/NZS 3100, AS 4777 series and AS/NZS 60335.2.29 (battery chargers).  Reports from non accredited labs will not be able to obtain a JAS-ANZ endorsed safety approval certificate for Australia. A non accredited report in CB format is still a non accredited report, no mater what the lab tells you.  A cheap report may actually be worth nothing at all.

 Standards required for CEC equipment listing after 16 July 2013:

Grid connect

inverters <30kW

(no batteries)

Grid connect

inverters

>30kW

(no batteries)

Off-grid

inverters with

battery

storage

(no PV

connected

directly to

inverter)

Multimode

inverters GC + OG

modes with

battery storage

(no PV connected

directly to

inverter)

Multimode

inverters GC + OG

modes with

battery storage

(PV connected

directly to

inverter)

PV regulators/

charge

controllers/

DC-DC

conditioning

equipment

AS4777:2005 2&3

IEC 62109-1 &2

IEC 62109-1

AS4777:2005 2&3

AS4777:2005 2&3

IEC 62019-1

AND

IEC 62109-1&2

 

 AND

*AS/NZS 60335.2.29

AND

IEC 62109-1

AND

IEC 62109-1 & 2

 

AND

AS/NZS 3100

 

AND

*AS/NZS 60335.2.29

AND

*AS/NZS 60335.2.29

 

 * There is inconsistency between ERAC member states over the need to apply AS/NZS 60335.2.29 (electrical safety for battery chargers) to inverters that include this function.  We will advise further when/if this is resolved.

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