Residential UL 3741: EnergyWise explains code-compliant install for unhoused community
Peter Greenberg, owner of EnergyWise Services in Oregon, has been in the solar business since 2010. A former firefighter, Greenberg has struggled with the unreliability of module-level power electronics. This is why he chose to pursue a UL 3741 compliant system for the Hub City Village’s community center — a tiny house community for the unhoused or housing-unstable in Albany, Oregon.
That system: Pegasus Solar racking, Midnite Solar’s 12A String-level Rapid Shutdown Device, and Solis 11.4 kW S6 hybrid inverter. The system also has 30 410W ET solar modules.
“The ease in installing only 1 RSD per string is a total game changer,” said Greenberg. “It saves time and provides the flexibility in placement. The majority of products today have MC4s, limiting us with jumpers and having to add connectors. This streamlines the total installation, saves liability, and ultimately costs. Going back to a job when a single RSD or optimizer fails, and the time it takes to resolve those issues, is significant for a small business like myself.”
Individual rapid shutdown boxes have come under scrutiny in the past, especially when it comes to ensuring they are all functioning properly and providing the intended safety measures. In addition to the ability to execute a UL 3741 system, Greenberg advised the ability and flexibility to add capacity and batteries later with the Solis hybrid was a huge advantage.
Hub City Village’s mission is to build safe, community-supported, self-governing housing that honor dignity and growth. Started by a group of Albany residents, their goal to create even more self-sustainable villages to continue to honor and build the community’s unhoused. This first community is fully self-sustaining, with the UL3741 install on their community center and an additional carport for guest parking with Solis’ 1P grid-tied units.
