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

Design

  • CSC LED: Spotted On-Site – Brantford School Lighting Upgrade

    CSC LED: Spotted On-Site – Brantford School Lighting Upgrade

    Upgrading lighting in educational spaces isn’t just about energy savings — it’s about creating environments where students and staff can see clearly, feel comfortable, and stay focused throughout the day. Recently in Brantford, ON, a local school refreshed both its cafeteria and hallways by replacing dim, green-tinted legacy fixtures with CSC LED flat panels. The… Read More…

  • Omnify: 7 Common Light Panel Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)

    Omnify: 7 Common Light Panel Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)

    You’ve invested in premium LED light guide panels for your retail display or commercial project. The specs looked perfect. The samples were gorgeous. But now? Something’s off. Maybe the lighting is uneven, or panels are starting to fail way before they should. Here’s the thing, most LED light guide panel problems aren’t manufacturing defects. They’re… Read More…

New Products

  • Peerless Electric: Arclux Series TB-LI – Grill Panel Light

    Peerless Electric: Arclux Series TB-LI – Grill Panel Light

    Discover the Arclux Series TB-LI LED luminaire for recessed installation. Easy push-in T-bar grill panel lights with aluminum body and optical polycarbonate diffuser, providing a distribution of 115°. The Arclux Series TB-LI LED fixtures are widely used in offices, residences, factories, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, and schools. Read More…

  • SATCO|NUVO: LED Adjustable Wall Packs – Field Selectable

    SATCO|NUVO: LED Adjustable Wall Packs – Field Selectable

    Engineered for directional performance and on-site flexibility, these LED Adjustable Wall Packs deliver targeted outdoor illumination with precision control. Offered in small and large configurations, each fixture features its own dedicated wattage package and is field selectable—allowing you to choose from three wattages and three-color temperatures at installation to match your exact project requirements. The… Read More…