alt Hacker News> Unless stated otherwise, none of the published devices has passed regulatory certification, so use them at your own risk and responsibility
This somewhat limits the usefulness of the hardware anywhere you need to be insured, e.g. your house, boat or van.
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> This somewhat limits the usefulness of the hardware anywhere you need to be insured, e.g. your house, boat or van.
Same goes for all the random Chinese inverters people are buying and installing in their Homes, Boats and Vans. Doesn't seem to stop them.
If you're not selling them then there isn't really any certification requirements until you start to get into the mains voltages. This all seems to be 12/24V DC stuff on the battery side and 60V DC on the solar side which comes under 'extra-low voltage' in basically every jurisdiction which is usually not really regulated because it's difficult to shock someone.
The battery stuff is more risky (bringing lithium cells into the picture) but I don't think anyone should be worried by the MPPTs.
Not that this is accepted by insurers or AHJs ("authorities having jurisdiction"), but one can use UL-certified components in an (open-source) _assembly_ that itself isn't UL certified. This at least supports the argument that the overall product is safe if thoughtfully designed and assembled. An example is the OpenEVSE level-2 car charger (which I had a really good experience with).
That's basically what most software Open Sorce projects state in their licenses as well: Use at your own risk. As someone who publishes design files openly you really don't want to be liable if someone uses the hardware in a wrong way.
That being said, the Libre Solar components are also meant to be used as the basis for customization (hence, called building blocks). Some of the devices are used with minor modifications in certified commercial products.
Apart from boats/caravans, DC systems are used a lot for rural electrification in the global south. This is also where the communication features of Zephyr RTOS are very important.
How hard is it to get stuff certified by UL? I would assume expensive and time consuming but don't really know.
This is for DIYers and enthusiasts, not someone looking for an off-the-shelf box.
(Also, Amazon is where most people get their solar equipment these days and you would be amazed how much of it is not UL certified either.)