2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 40 - UTILITIES (§§ 40-1-101 — 40-43-104) › PUBLIC UTILITIES (§§ 40-1-101 — 40-17.5-105) › GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE (§§ 40-1-101 — 40-9.8-104) › Article 2 - PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION - RENEWABLE ENERGY STANDARD (§§ 40-2-101 — 40-2-203) › Part 1 - GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS (§§ 40-2-101 — 40-2-139) › Section 40-2-128 - Solar photovoltaic installations - supervision by certified practitioners - qualifications of electrical contractors - definitions

(1)
For all photovoltaic installations allowed under section
40-2-124
with a direct current design capacity of less than three hundred kilowatts:
(a)
(I)
(A)
The performance of all photovoltaic electrical work, the installation of photovoltaic modules, and the installation of photovoltaic module mounting equipment is subject to on-site supervision by a certified photovoltaic energy practitioner, as designated by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP), or a licensed master electrician, licensed journeyman electrician, or licensed residential wireman, as defined in section
12-115-103
.
(B)
In the case of building-integrated photovoltaic technology, if the type of building-integrated photovoltaic technology installed or the scope of the building-integrated photovoltaic installation involved does not require a licensed master electrician, licensed journeyman electrician, or licensed residential wireman to perform the installation work and the installation work concerns the installation of roofing materials, the on-site supervision may be performed by a certified solar energy installer, as designated by NABCEP or Roof Integrated Solar Energy (RISE).
(C)
For a building-integrated photovoltaic installation, a licensed master electrician, licensed journeyman electrician, or licensed residential wireman must perform the installation work for any stage of the installation after the installation materials penetrate the roof, a structural wall, or another part of the building, or any stage of the installation in which the building-integrated photovoltaic materials transition to a surface-mounted junction box and utilize types of conduit and building wire that are approved by the national electrical code, as defined in section
12-115-103(8)
.
(D)
By submitting an initial application for funding or an initial contract proposal, the applicant assumes responsibility for employing or contracting with one or more certified energy practitioners or licensed master electricians, licensed journeyman electricians, or licensed residential wiremen to supervise the installation and as necessary to maintain the three-to-one ratio required by subsection (1)(b) of this section, including during any off-site, preinstallation assembly. Payment of any incentives for the work shall not be approved until the applicant supplies the name and certification number of each certified energy practitioner or the license number of each master electrician, journeyman electrician, or residential wireman who actually provided on-site supervision or was present to maintain the three-to-one ratio required by subsection (1)(d) of this section.
(II)
Neither the commission nor the utility shall have responsibility for monitoring or enforcing compliance with this section. It shall be the responsibility of the applicant to obtain the information required by subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (a), and it shall be the responsibility of the qualifying retail utility to obtain from the applicant and retain, for at least one year after completion of the installation, copies of all documentation submitted by the applicant in connection with the installation.
(b)
All work performed on the alternating-current side of the inverter will be performed by an electrical contractor who employs a licensed journeyman electrician or a licensed residential wireman who will perform the work. All electrical work that pertains to article
115
of title
12
will be performed by an electrical apprentice registered with the appropriate state regulatory agency, a licensed journeyman electrician, or a licensed residential wireman. The appropriate ratio of no less than one journeyman or residential wireman for every three electrical apprentices will be maintained.
(c)
Repealed.
(d)
On a system with a direct current design capacity of less than three hundred kilowatts:
(I)
The ratio of the number of persons who are assisting with the work and who are neither licensed electricians nor registered electrical apprentices to the number of persons who are certified as provided in paragraph (a) of this subsection (1) shall never exceed three to one, and a person who is both licensed and certified shall not count double for purposes of measuring this ratio, during the following stages:
(A)
The installation of photovoltaic modules;
(B)
The installation of photovoltaic module mounting equipment; and
(C)
Any photovoltaic electrical work; and
(II)
There shall be, at all times, at least one on-site supervisor who is certified as provided in paragraph (a) of this subsection (1).
(2)
As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a)
(I)
"Photovoltaic electrical work" means wiring, grounding, or repairing electrical apparatus and equipment in a photovoltaic distributed generation system.
(II)
"Photovoltaic electrical work" includes the preinstallation assembly of photovoltaic modules to photovoltaic module mounting equipment for installation on-site.
(III)
"Photovoltaic electrical work" does not include site preparation, trenching or excavating, hauling, or other work that is not specifically described in subparagraph (I) or (II) of this paragraph (a).
(b)
"Photovoltaic module" means the module or panel that generates electricity through a photovoltaic process.
(c)
"Photovoltaic module mounting equipment" means the racking, mounting, apparatus, equipment, or structure that physically supports and secures one or more photovoltaic modules in place or to a roof, wall, foundation, or pedestal.
Amended by 2019 Ch. 136,§ 258, eff. 10/1/2019.
Amended by 2019 Ch. 360,§ 3, eff. 8/2/2019.
Amended by 2013 Ch. 159,§ 2, eff. 5/3/2013.
L. 2010: Entire section added, (HB 10-1001), ch. 150, p. 150, § 4, effective August 11. L. 2013: IP(1) and (1)(a)(I) amended, (SB 13-186), ch. 513, p. 513, § 2, effective May 3. L. 2019: IP(1), (1)(a)(I)(D), and IP(1)(d) amended and (1)(c) repealed, (HB 19-1003), ch. 3338, p. 3338, § 3, effective August 2; (1)(a)(I)(A), (1)(a)(I)(C), and (1)(b) amended, (HB 19-1172), ch. 1732, p. 1732, § 258, effective October 1.