PV installation needs electricians, union says

A union representing electricians in Hawaii is asking state regulators to require that a licensed electrician be involved in all phases of the installation of solar photovoltaic systems.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1186 maintains that the installation of PV panels meets the definition of "electrical work" under state law, and therefore requires a one-to-one ratio of licensed electricians to nonlicensed electrical workers on a job site to ensure that PV systems are properly grounded.

Officials from the Hawaii Solar Energy Association, however, say the PV installation process has evolved to the point where much of the preliminary racking and placing of the panels can be done safely by other workers, with a licensed electrician doing the final wiring. Having a licensed electrician involved in every step of the process would increase the cost of PV systems and result in a shortage of electricians for other types projects, the association said.

The solar industry trade group laid out its concerns during an Oct. 7 meeting of the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ Board of Electricians and Plumbers. The board will take up the issue again at a meeting Tuesday.

Damien Kim, business manager for IBEW Local 1186, said the rapid growth of solar photovoltaic installations in recent years has raised concerns that some PV contractors may be using workers who are either unlicensed or not properly licensed for the work they are doing.

"The PV industry has exploded. All of these new companies have been started and they’re overwhelmed with the amount of work. We’re saying let’s make sure it’s done properly and safely. We just want to make sure it is being done in accordance with the language in the statute," Kim said in an interview.

He said the installation of PV racking systems and placement of panels appear to meet the definition of electrical work under Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 16, Chapter 80, that would require a licensed electrician to either do the PV installation or supervise the work. The racking systems and individual panels need to be grounded, a process that requires the involvement of a licensed electrician, he said.

When the Board of Electricians and Plumbers discussed the issue at its October meeting, the association submitted testimony saying it supported the board’s intent to ensure the "safe and efficient installation" of PV systems on Oahu. "However, HSEA does not believe that shifting the entire installation process of PV solely to (licensed electricians) is warranted or prudent," Executive Director Leslie Cole-Brooks said in her written testimony.

Cole-Brooks said the association agreed that PV systems must be properly grounded.

"However, since 2009 PV panels and the process of grounding and bonding panels have changed. Now the installation of mounting bolts, racking, the laying and mounting of micro-inverter units, and the setting of solar modules all clip together as a unit. The installation requires no handling of electrical wiring," she testified. Cole-Brooks compared the process to "plugging in a phone line to an outlet at home."

The IBEW said its licensing concerns are supported by reports from job sites from city inspectors.

"City and County of Hono­lulu electrical inspectors have mentioned that an electrical permit is required for this work, and a licensed electrician needs to sign off on the work," according to a July 29 letter from the IBEW’s marketing affiliate to the Board of Electricians and Plumbers.

"Because of this, they are finding there may be many electricians signing off on the entire PV installation where much of the support rack and panel installation work was done by unlicensed persons," according to the letter.

The city’s Department of Planning and Permitting is in charge of inspecting all construction projects, including PV panel installations.

"From time to time, the DPP will uncover inappropriate actions by a licensed contractor (at a PV project)," according to Art Challacombe, DPP deputy director. "This could include signing off as the contractor of record, but the work was performed by an unlicensed person," he said. "In these cases, the DPP reports the activity to the DCCA and cooperates with the agency in its investigation."