Auto-inspection and permitting with a PV Utility Interface (PUI) for residential plug-and-play solar photovoltaic unit

Renewable energy resources are becoming popular with mass adoption in residential and commercial applications because of gradual cost reduction along with continuous technical advancements. Photovoltaic (PV) energy is one of the biggest players of renewable energy installations although soft costs remain as a major barrier for higher penetration of PV systems. To significantly lower the soft costs related to residential photovoltaic system installations, a Plug-and-Play (PnP) system has been designed which allows for a quick, low-cost installation. The method is much less invasive and labor intensive than traditional installation methods involving drilling holes through walls and installing additional panel boxes within the house. This paper presents the PnP electrical system, with emphasis on the controls, software, and system level communications within the system. A PV Utility Interface (PUI) circuit has been developed for automated electrical safety checks and authentication for implementing the PnP PV system. A data protocol has been used to deal with the master-slave controller setup in the system.