EverBright Installation Design Standards (PPA/Lease)

Updated September 24, 2024
reference (EverBright Training portal):
Document: EverBright
Video: EverBright

Purpose: This guide provides agents with the general installation standard requirements for PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) and Lease options. It includes standards related to system size, productivity, roof requirements, module and inverter specifications, and other critical aspects.

1. System Size and Offset

• System Size Range: 2kW – 30kW

• % Offset of Electrical Usage: Must adhere to local utility requirements and any applicable rebate requirements.

2. Productivity Standards

• The expected productivity range varies by state, from 800 kWh/kW to 2000 kWh/kW.

• Refer to the chart below for state-specific requirements:

Open

• Arizona, Hawaii, Maryland, Colorado, Ohio, Texas: 800–2000 kWh/kW

• California: 1000–2000 kWh/kW

• Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York: 900–1800 kWh/kW

• Texas (Higher Minimum): 1200–2000 kWh/kW

3. AC:DC Ratios

• The maximum allowable AC ratio is 1.3.

4. Roof Types and Conditions

• Roof Condition

  • Roofs should be evaluated and confirmed to be able to handle the additional live and dead loads of adding a PV system.

  • Roof age should be evaluated to determine the useful life of the roof.

  • Customers are financially responsible for the cost of removing and reinstalling their system if and when they need to repair or replace their roof during the contract period. The customer should be made aware of the current condition of their roof and expected number of years left in their roof. This will help inform the financial decision of whether they would like to re-roof now or in the future.

  • Consult with a professional roofer on the current condition and expected life of a potential customer’s roof when necessary.

  • If a roof is reported to be within 10 years of the end of its useful life, based on customer provided information regarding last reroof date and roofing material warranty, a re-roof should be pursued.

  • If the roof appears to have less than 10 years of useful life but the customer wants to move forward without a reroof, an EverBright roof waiver is required.

  • Plywood or other permanent layer should be present above the rafters and below the roofing paper and roofing materials.

• Low Slope Roofs:

  • Any roof under 2/12 (9.5 deg) is considered a low slope roof. A low slope roof should have the appropriate roofing material installed. TPO, EPDM, Foam, rolled comp, modified bitumen are acceptable. Any type of shingle is not acceptable due potential leaks. If you encounter a low slope roof that has shingles, it should be reroofed prior to installing solar. Proper low slope roof mounts should also be used for installation. Manufacturers data sheets and documentation should be reviewed to confirm mounts can be installed on low slope roofs.

• Prohibited Roof Types:

  • Wood Shake

  • Cal Shake

  • Slate Tile

  • Metal Shingle

  • Copper

  • More than 2 layers of composition shingles

  • Any home with faulty or defective roofing products. These can include, but are not limited to, Cemwood, certain Monier Tiles, Caland Hardy shake, and others that have had class-action lawsuits brought against them regarding asbestos and other issues.

5. Snow and Critter Guards

• Snow and ice sliding should always be addressed at the design stage depending on the region. If the region is prone to heavy snow and ice, proper setbacks and considerations like snow guards should be considered when designing a PV system to ensure that systems can safely accumulate snow and ice without becoming a hazard to people and/or property below.

• Critter guards should be installed in areas where there is potential damage or production impacts from animals (squirrels, pigeons, etc.). Special consideration should be taken in wooded or urban areas where these animals are likely to be present.

• We reserve the right to require snow or critter guards in areas where we expect potential damage or production impacts from animals.

6. Photo Requirements for QA (Quality Assurance)

• Photos should be full resolution so all items can be confirmed.

• One clear photo for each numbered sub-task is usually sufficient unless noted otherwise. Excessive photos (more than 10) submitted per sub-task, including in single zip files, will be rejected.

• Incorrect photos provided for the named photo sub-task will be rejected.

• Image files (JPG or PNG) are preferred over PDFs. If PDFs are used, please put each photo in a separate PDF document (10 files max per photo sub-task).

M2 Photos

List of QA Pictures to be submitted at M2		NOTES
1.1	Verify home address on-site Click to view sample photo Open	Provide photo of house number on front of house, mailbox, curb, or other. Include the house in photo, if possible. If address number is not available, provide geotagged photo or photo of the front of the house that matches additional submitted photo of Google Streetview.
2.1	PV module label Click to view sample photo	Clear and legible photo of make/model and wattage of solar module installed. Photo should be taken on site, pre-installation.
3.1	Each array in full view Click to view sample photo	Photo(s) showing all arrays installed. Number and arrangement of PV modules should match Building Plan Set (BPS) and Live Project. If project is an add-on system, clearly indicate which modules are new vs existing.
4.1	Zoomed-out photo of equipment wall Click to view sample photo	Show all installed equipment mounted to wall. Typically, ONE photo may include: inverter (wall-mounted) monitoring equipment battery(s) controller/back-up interface main service panel (MSP) disconnects conduit Multiple photos may be needed if equipment is installed on different walls/locations.
5.1	Energy storage Click to view sample photo	Show all batteries, battery label(s), controllers and backup interfaces installed.

M3 Photos

7. Modules and Inverters

• Modules:

  • Must be listed on the EverBright Approved Vendor List (AVL).

  • Minimum wattage requirement: 320 watts.

• Inverters:

  • Must be on the EverBright AVL.

  • Should be mounted as per the manufacturer’s guidelines to avoid warranty issues.

  • Revenue-grade monitoring is required with +/- 0.5% accuracy.

8. Monitoring Requirements

• Must be listed on the EverBright AVL.

• Cellular monitoring required.

• Must be purchased through inverter supplier (integrated).

• Revenue grade monitoring required (+/- 0.5%).

• EverBright systems are required to be monitored separately from any existing systems.

• Consumption monitoring required on all PV and Energy Storage Projects.

• Exceptions will not be made for Energy Storage projects.

• For PV only where there is limited space, bundling should be attempted. In the event that bundling is not achievable, a photo of the MSP showing limited space must be submitted and the “Consumption Monitoring Attestation” at M2 should not be selected.

9. Main Service and Sub Panels

• Certain historic service panel manufacturers have been deemed unsafe by the electrical inspection community. These panels are not accepted by EverBright and should be replaced.

• Zinsco and Zinsco-Sylvania (or GTE-Sylvania or Kearney installed with Zinsco-type breakers)

• Federal Pacific panels, with Stab-Lok breaker.

10. Golf Courses

• Customers who live on or near golf courses should be informed that errant golf balls may cause damage to their system which may result in lost production. The homeowner will be responsible for any repairs and EverBright will not be held liable for any lost production due to damage from golf balls.

11. Installation Best Practices Installation Best Practices

• Modules should never be placed within areas of hard shade during peak sun hours. Hard shade can include chimneys, tall vents, utility weather-heads, other taller roof planes, and trees.

• Tilt racks - Inter-row spacing should be designed to avoid shadows from other rows of modules.

• Heat producing vents should never be spanned over with PV modules nor should vents be allowed to come in contact with modules. Heat will damage the modules and will compromise the system’s performance.

12. Tree Removal

• In all cases where trees will be trimmed or removed to increase solar access, the trees must be completely trimmed below the roof line or removed completely.