IES Technical Luncheon: US and Canada Safety Requirements for Photo-Voltaic (solar) Luminaire Systems

LDS 13 CS IES Fundamentals 400

May 5, 2021

Date: Wednesday, May 19th 2021 

Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm 

Fee : Free (Virtual on ZOOM)

PV luminaire systems offer wide-ranging benefits with limited, but not insignificant, potential safety risks. Well-designed systems will help with climate change, energy conservation, economic well-being, and social equity. These systems are being deployed in greater numbers and variety in both residential and commercial applications. UL 8801 is intended to guide this deployment with safeguards that prevent serious negative outcomes while allowing for innovation and market opportunity. This presentation will provide an overview of proposed US and Canada safety requirements for PV luminaire systems.

Presenter

Michael Shulman is a UL principal engineer for lighting equipment, with technical oversight for UL standards and certification programs for portable, low voltage, underwater, and emergency lighting. He is a member of the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code Means of Egress Technical Committee, and a regular contributor to the National Electrical Code. Over his 40 year UL career, the last 25 of which have been focused on lighting equipment, he has been on the forefront of innovative technologies and the certification programs needed to service them, including Field Evaluations, Hazard Based Safety Engineering, LEDs, organic LEDs, Low Voltage Suspended Ceiling Grid Power Distribution, and Power over Ethernet. With the support of UL’s PV module subject matter experts, he developed the UL 8801 Outline of Investigation for PV-Powered Luminaires as an outgrowth of his work with low voltage lighting and battery-equipped emergency luminaires.

Michael was raised in the Chicago area, started his UL career at the UL Northbrook office and then relocated to the California Bay Area in 1981. He is a former small town mayor and school board president, with lengthy tenures in both city and school governance. His children are now young adults living elsewhere in California.

Related Articles


Changing Scene

  • LEDVANCE Expands Ontario Presence with New Specification Agent

    LEDVANCE Expands Ontario Presence with New Specification Agent

    LEDVANCE is pleased to announce the appointment of Sterling Architectural Products Ltd. (Sterling Lights) as their new specification agent in Ontario. This partnership strengthens LEDVANCE’s presence in the region and reinforces their commitment to serving the professional lighting design and specification community with innovative, reliable lighting solutions. With decades of experience and a service-driven mindset,… Read More…

  • May 29, 2025 - Eureka Wins Three 2025 Red Dot Awards for Product Design

    Eureka Wins Three 2025 Red Dot Awards for Product Design

    Eureka is pleased to announce that its Velia, Cirra, and Junction luminaires have each received a 2025 Red Dot Design Award for Product Design. It is the 11th consecutive year that Eureka products have been honored with this prestigious award, which is a testament to the company’s consistency and relentless drive to design exceptional luminaires.… Read More…


Design

  • The Residential Contractor’s Guide to Layering Light

    The Residential Contractor’s Guide to Layering Light

    Too often, lighting plans default to the basics: a central ceiling fixture here, a few recessed cans there. Functional? Sure. But memorable? Not even close. That’s where knowing how to layer light comes in — a deceptively simple design principle that adds depth, mood, and polish to every space. With a few strategic choices, you… Read More…

  • 60-Watt vs 100-Watt Light Bulbs: Brightness & Wattage

    60-Watt vs 100-Watt Light Bulbs: Brightness & Wattage

    With the widespread use of LED light bulbs, the replacement and upgrade of different light bulbs have also made the concept of “equivalent wattage” more and more discussed. When comparing 60-watt vs 100-watt bulb, the wattage and brightness are the factors that need to be figured out first. Wattage is used to measure the energy consumption while many… Read More…


New Products