Solar Freaks

Hi guys

In the last few days I have had two people contact me with some odd questions. The first guy wanted me to come out and inspect his trench, he told me he was having panels installed on his shed, then running back to the inverter installed near the switchboard on his house, 120m away. He told me he was looking for 6 core 6mm as he wanted to run the DC to the inverter and then use the other 3 cores to run AC power back to his shed. I told him that the electrician on the job would make sure the trench was right, he said the solar installers where coming from QLD and that he could run the cable between the shed and the house, making the install cheaper, they would just turn up and connect each end, I told him it didn't sound right to me and to get back onto his installer.

Another guy just up the road from me asked me out to quote on upgrading the underground power to his shed, when I get there he says, he is getting solar installed on his shed and then DC run underground back to house and then through the roof to the inverter installed at the switchboard, the installer told him to run the underground himself and get your local sparky to run the bigger submains back to your shed in the same conduit, when I asked about the installer he said, its a QLD company. I told him I would not run ac in the same conduit with dc, gave him a quote to do the submain upgrade and left, doubt I will hear from him again.

Other stories from other electricians and from what I have read on here and other forums involving the lack of dc rated and labeled cables and guys running building wire in conduit and labeling the conduit every foot or so, using paralleled 2.5mm tps, under sized circuit breakers, the list goes on, who are these people where did the get there training from, I have to assume that they have no idea that what they are doing is dangerous, surly they wouldn't put peoples lives at risk.

I want to at some stage put a system on my own house but I really don't want some fool cutting corners not knowing what he is doing. I am looking to get some hands on experience if I can find someone that is willing to take me on a few jobs to help out, and to undertake the required courses to become accredited, even if I only ever get to install one system and that one system is mine.

Now some of you might be saying, oh here we go, another sparky who thinks he can go do the course and then start installing, he will turn out just like the installers he is complaining about. Well thats why I am here, I want to know how to get started how not to become one of the people I am complaining about.

So how did you get started, what courses did you do and where did you do them, how long have you been in the industry.

Cheers
Tony