0
\$\begingroup\$

I am designing a weather station that will be installed on other people's property in Australia and New Zealand. I was previously prototyping with Raspberry Pi computers, but it may end up being an Nvidia Jetson Nano or similar single-board computer (to give some idea of the power requirements). It will need to be solar powered and will have a battery.

I have not yet decided on the size of the solar panels or the capacity of the battery.

I already have the insurance side sorted. That's not a problem. However, are there any limits (e.g. maximum wattage or voltage) that I am allowed to work with without being a qualified electrician or certified solar installer?

Does anyone know what specific legislation or government entity I should refer to? I'm having a hell of a time trying to find relevant information via Google...

Thanks in advance.

\$\endgroup\$
2
  • \$\begingroup\$ Limits you are allowed to work with would be a question of insurance perhaps. Legal-wise, you just need to prove that the person who made the installation know what they are doing. What's required to prove that is probably a question for law.stackexchange.com however. \$\endgroup\$
    – Lundin
    Commented May 15 at 8:31
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ The relevant technical standards appear to be AS/NZS 3000:2018 Electrical installations - Known as the Australian/New Zealand Wiring Rules and AS/NZS 3820:2020 Essential safety requirements for electrical equipment. These are not open standards so one has to pay for access to them. It's probably best to contact a test house to clear these things out with an expert. \$\endgroup\$
    – Lundin
    Commented May 15 at 8:52

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1
\$\begingroup\$

In New Zealand you cannot do "prescribed electrical work" without being registered and licenced. "Prescribed electrical work" is defined in regulations here. "Low voltage", "extra-low voltage", and many other terms are defined in clause 4 of the same regulations. One exception is that certain work may be done by an unlicenced person under the supervision of a licenced person, but that generally means the supervisor has to be closely involved.

In addition, part 6 of the same regulations deals with the safety of appliances and fittings imported or supplied to others, and these will apply regardless of whether or not there is prescribed electrical work involved. The safety requirements reference other technical documents and might be a bit daunting, but you can pay third-parties (electrical testing labs) to certify that your product meets the requirements.

I do not claim that these are the only requirements applicable to your work. There might be others in the same regulations, or in other legislation or regulation (e.g. rules restricting stray EMFs).

\$\endgroup\$

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.