SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS

3111.3 Photovoltaic solar energy systems. Photovoltaic solar energy systems shall be designed and installed in accordance with this section, the Puerto Rico Fire Code, NFPA 70, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority's Reglamento Complementario al Código Eléctrico Nacional (Complementary Code), either the Reglamento para Interconectar Generadores con el Sistema de Distribución Eléctrica de la Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica y Participar en los Programas de Medición Neta (Regulation 8915) or the Reglamento para Interconectar Generadores con el Sistema de Transmisión Eléctrica de la Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica y Participar en los Programas de Medición Neta (Regulation 8916), as applicable, and the manufacturer's installation instructions. 3111.3.1 Equipment. Photovoltaic panels and modules shall be listed and labeled in accordance with UL 1703. Inverters shall comply with IEEE 1547 and be listed and labeled in accordance with UL 1741. Systems connected to the utility grid shall use inverters listed for utility interaction. Photovoltaic panels, modules and inverters shall be approved and certified by the Authority having Jurisdiction. CHAPTER 32 - ENCROACHMENTS INTO THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY No amendments. CHAPTER 33 - SAFEGUARDS DURING CONSTRUCTION No amendments. CHAPTER 34 - RESERVED CHAPTER 35 - REFERENCED STANDARDS PRASA Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority PO BOX 7066 SAN JUAN, PR 00916 7066 3149-1984: Reglamento de Normas de Diseño (Complementary Code) PREPA Puerto Rico Power Authority PO Box 364267 San Juan, PR 00936-4267 5676-1997: Reglamento Complementario al Código Eléctrico Nacional (Complementary Code) [A]108.3, 406.2.9, 2701.1, 3111.3 149 8915-2017: Reglamento para Interconectar Generadores con el Sistema de Distribución Eléctrica de la Autoridad de Energia Eléctrica y Participar en los Programas de Medición Neta 3111.3 8916-2017: Reglamento para Interconectar Generadores con el Sistema de Transmisión Eléctrica de la Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica y Participar en los Programas de Medición Neta 3111.3 JCA Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board Apartado 11488 Santurce, PR 00910 8786-2016: Reglamento para el Control y la Prevención de la Contaminación Lumínica [E]1302.1 APPENDIX A - EMPLOYEE QUALIFICATIONS No amendments. APPENDIX B - BOARD OF APPEALS No amendments. APPENDIX C - GROUP U - AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS No amendments. APPENDIX D - FIRE DISTRICTS No amendments. APPENDIX E - SUPPLEMENTARY ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS No amendments. APPENDIX F - RODENTPROOFING No amendments. APPENDIX G - FLOOD-RESISTANT CONSTRUCTION SECTION G105 - VARIANCES G105.3 Historic structures. A variance is authorized to be issued for the repair or rehabilitation of a historic structure upon a determination that the proposed repair or rehabilitation will not 150 preclude the structure's continued designation as a historic structure, and the variance is the minimum necessary to preserve the historic character and design of the structure. Exception: Within flood hazard areas, historic structures or properties that do not meet one or more of the following designations: 1. Listed or preliminarily determined to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. 2. Determined by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior, Puerto Rico Planning Board in the Register of Historic Places and Zones, Board of Directors of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, and the Puerto Rico Legislative Assembly, as contributing to the historical significance of a registered historic district or zone or a district preliminarily determined to qualify as an historic district or zone. 3. Designated as historic or having historic significance under applicable state or law, ordinance or resolution. APPENDIX H - SIGNS No amendments. APPENDIX I - PATIO COVERS No amendments. APPENDIX J - GRADING No amendments. APPENDIX K - ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS No amendments. APPENDIX L - EARTHQUAKE RECORDING INSTRUMENTATION No amendments. APPENDIX M - TSUNAMI-GENERATED FLOOD HAZARD No amendments. APPENDIX N - REPLICABLE BUILDINGS SECTION N103 - REPLICABLE DESIGN REQUIREMENTS N103.1 Prototypical construction documents. A replicable design shall establish prototypical construction documents for application at multiple locations. The construction documents shall include details appropriate to each wind region, seismic design category, Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), and climate zone for locations in which the replicable design is intended for 151 application. Application of replicable design shall not vary with regard to the following, except for allowable variations in accordance with Section N106. 1. Use and occupancy classification. 2. Building heights and area limitations. 3. Type of construction classification. 4. Fire-resistance ratings. 5. Interior finishes. 6. Fire protection system. 7. Means of egress. 8. Accessibility. 9. Structural design criteria. 10. Energy efficiency. 11. Type of mechanical and electrical systems. 12. Type of plumbing system and number of fixtures. 13. Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). N104.1.2 Structural plans, specifications and engineering details. Where approval of the structural requirements of the replicable design is sought, the submittal documents shall include details for each wind region, seismic design category, Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), and climate zone for which approval is sought; and shall include the following: 1. Signed and sealed structural design calculations that support the member sizes on the drawings. 2. Design load criteria, including: frost depth, live loads, snow loads, flood loads, wind loads, earthquake design date, and other special loads. 3. Details of foundations and superstructure. 4. Provisions for special inspections. APPENDIX O - ALTERNATE STRUCTURAL PROVISIONS FOR ONE AND TWO STORY BUILDINGS ONE AND TWO STORIES BUILDING CONSTRUCTION SECTION O101 - APPLICABILITY AND SCOPE 0101.1 General. The structural design and construction of new qualified one and two story reinforced concrete buildings can be performed in accordance with these alternate provisions, as an alternate to those included in the 2018 Puerto Rico Building Code (IBC 2018) and the Puerto Rico Residential Code 2018. For additions or modifications of existing structures, follow the Puerto Rico Existing Building Code 2018. A qualified building shall meet the requirements set forth in this section as follows: 152 1. The building consists of a reinforced concrete structure with or without concrete block infill walls. The floor area of each story shall not exceed five thousand (5,000) square feet and any story level shall not exceed 12 feet in height. 2. The building shall have a nearly symmetrical plan configuration in both principal directions. The distance between the center of mass and the center of rigidity of the building shall not exceed five (5) percent of the plan dimension measured normal to the direction of the load. 3. All reinforced concrete structural elements supporting vertical and lateral loads shall be castin-place. 4. A lateral force resisting system (LFRS), consisting of moment frames or shear walls or a combination of both, shall be provided in both principal directions of the building. The outof-plane stiffness of the walls shall not be considered as part of the LFRS. 5. All vertical structural elements shall be continuous down to the foundation, with no horizontal offset and no reduction in sectional area. Rigid structural systems on the second level, like reinforced concrete or concrete block shear walls that are supported by frame systems on the first level, shall be identified as a soft story at the first level and shall not be allowed. 6. The maximum difference in base elevation between adjacent footings shall not exceed twelve (12) inches. Additionally, the final grading elevation around the building shall not exceed three (3) feet above the ground slab elevation. 7. The second-floor slab area shall not exceed that of the ground floor, except that for balconies or overhangs the second-floor slabs are permitted up to six (6) feet from the faces of the four façades of the building, but not larger than 1/3 of the adjacent interior span. 8. The resulting design seismic base shear, calculated as per these alternate provisions, shall not be reduced due to ductility considerations. 9. These provisions shall apply only to buildings with Occupancy Category I and II as defined in Table O102.2 or Table 1604.5 (IBC 2018) (Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures). The qualified buildings shall not have an Importance Factor greater than 1.0. SECTION O102 - DESIGN LOADS O102.1. Permanent Loads. Dead, fixed and permanent loads used for the design shall be as per the IBC 2018 provisions. O102.2. Live Loads: Design live loads shall be as per the IBC 2018 provisions or PRBC-2018 amendments. O102.3. Lateral Forces. The general provisions for the calculation of the design lateral loads shall be as per this section. 0102.3.1. Hurricane Wind Loads: 0102.3.1.1. General. All buildings and their components, and accessories and their attachments subject to wind loads, shall be designed to withstand the pressures and meet the requirements of this section. Building components, such as windows, panels, doors, 153 roof equipment, antennas and the architectural features exposed to the wind shall be designed for the wind loads specified. The wind shall be assumed as approaching the structure from any horizontal direction. Reductions on the design wind pressures shall not be permitted. Reductions in load associated with protection or shielding provided by adjacent structures shall not be permitted. However, the calculated capacity of the components may be increased by a factor of 1.3 to account for the short duration of the wind loads. 0102.3.1.2. Basic wind speed. Wind pressures listed in this section are based on a wind speed of three (3) seconds gust criteria, as defined by the ASCE 7 design standard. Design wind pressures as per this section are unfactored service loads. 0102.3.1.3. Design wind pressure. The net wind pressure, at strength load condition, acting on the main wind force resisting system shall not be less than 54 psf, acting normal to both the windward (positive pressure) and leeward (negative pressure) façades of the building, concurrently with a roof vertical pressure of 54 psf acting on the roof upward or 42 psf acting on the roof downward. The two load cases specified above shall be considered separately and the structural element shall be designed for the larger load combination. The total shear force induced by wind shall be calculated based on these criteria. O102.3.1.4. Components and Cladding - The wind pressures acting on any structural or non-structural component or cladding element shall not be less than those listed on Table I. Designer shall refer to ASCE 7 standard, to obtain the design wind pressures for those components not listed in this section. Wall edge zones shall be defined as the portion of the wall located within a distance of ten (10) feet measured horizontally from the corners of the building. 154 Table O102.1: Design Wind Pressures for Components and Cladding DESIGN pressure NORMAL to surface TYPE OF Component and Cladding (IN psf) Wall components and their connections to 90 (inward or outward) at edge zone and LFRS, including, but not limited to, 65 (inward or outward) elsewhere structural members, concrete block walls, exterior wall panels, doors, windows, permanent terrace covers and nonretractable shade curtains and all exterior architectural components, All Roof structure components. All equipment and components supported 90 (acting in any direction) by the roof including, but not limited to, 54 (acting upward and downward) solar water heaters, solar panels, water cisterns, A/C units, equipment, and associated conduit and ductwork and all attachments. Also, skylights, ventilation and extraction fans and all their attachments. All parapets or extension of wall elements 90 (acting inward, outward or upward above roof elevation. Roof membranes installed for 90 (acting inward or outward) impermeabilization and climate control 110 (acting upward) at edge zones and purposes. flashings and 65 (acting upward) elsewhere O102.3.2 Earthquake Loads: 0102.3.2.1 General. All qualified buildings and all their components shall be designed to meet the seismic requirements of this section. 0102.3.2.2 Seismic loads. The design horizontal seismic force shall be applied at the level of each story and located at a distance of plus or minus five (5) percent of the maximum plan dimension normal to the direction of the load from the center of rigidity of each story. This distance shall be considered the accidental eccentricity. The seismic load need not be applied concurrently along both principal directions of the building. For all non-structural components, the design seismic force shall be applied at their center of mass. The seismic forces calculated as per these alternate provisions are factored loads based on the elastic structural behavior and shall not be reduced to account for any ductility considerations. 155 0102.3.2.3 Minimum design seismic force. The design seismic load shall not be less than that calculated by the following formula: Vᵤ = 0.50W where; W = Total weight of the structure including all structural and non-structural components, equipment and any other permanent attachment to the structure that modifies the inertial properties of the structure. Vᵤ = Total horizontal base shear force at factored level. For one story structures, the total base shear, Vu, shall be applied to the roof level. For two story structures, Vu shall be applied in equal proportions to the first and roof levels. 0102.3.2.4 Horizontal Distribution of Seismic Force. The total shear force applied at each level shall be distributed among all components of the LFRS in proportion to their relative stiffness. The floor and roof slabs shall be used as horizontal rigid diaphragms. Slabs thickness shall not be less than four (4) inches and shall be cast-in-place without horizontal construction joints. O102.3.2.5 Minimum horizontal design seismic forces on nonstructural components: All non-structural components and their attachments to the principal structure shall be designed to withstand as a minimum, the lateral loads calculated in accordance with the following formula: Fₚ = 0.60Wₚ where, Wₚ = Total weight of the non-structural components or equipment. Fₚ = Total design horizontal seismic force at factored level. O102.4. Load Combinations: The required strength of the structure and all its components shall be determined from the Load and Resistance Factor Design load combinations and load factors provided in Section 1605 of the IBC 2018. SECTION O103 - FOUNDATIONS 0103.1 General. The foundation design of qualified buildings shall meet the requirements of this section. Structures designed as per these alternate provisions may be supported by isolated or combined footings or by a mat foundation. Minimum concrete compressive strength is 3,000 psi at 28 days and 60,000 ksi for steel reinforcement conforming to ASTM A615-09. Welding of reinforcement bars shall not be permitted. 156 0103.2 Minimum foundation thickness. The foundation thickness shall not be less than the following: 1. For spread footings under load bearing walls twelve (12) inches. 2. For spread footings under columns twelve (12) inches. 3. For mat foundations, twelve (12) inches under concrete walls, twelve (12) inches under columns and six (6) inches elsewhere. Changes in thickness shall be done gradually in a 1:1 slope down towards the thickened portion. 0103.3 Minimum foundation width. The foundation width shall not be less than the following: 1. For combined footings and mat foundations under interior load bearing walls, twelve (12) inches measured from each face of the wall. For the case of combined footings and mat foundations under exterior load bearing walls, fifteen (15) inches measured from each face of the wall. 2. For spread footings and combined footings under interior and exterior columns, eighteen (18) inches measured from each face of the column. For the case of mat foundations under interior columns, eighteen (18) inches measured from each face of the column. For the case of mat foundations under exterior columns, fifteen (15) inches measured from each face of the column. 0103.4 Minimum steel reinforcement - Foundation reinforcement shall not be less than 0.002 of the gross sectional area. 0103.5 Minimum concrete cover. The concrete clear cover of steel reinforcement cast against earth or permanently exposed to earth, shall not be less than three (3) inches or two (2) inches if the complete foundation is cast against an unperforated bituminous or plastic vapor barrier membrane conforming to ASTM E-1993 and ASTM 1745 of at least six thousandths of an inch (6 mils) thick. Membrane installation shall be as per ASTM 1643. 0103.6 Type L Footings. Type "L" footings shall not be used except at those instances required to avoid conflicts with property lines. In such cases, their design shall consider soil bearing pressure variations caused by the eccentricity of the applied load. The full footprint of the foundation shall remain in bearing contact with the soil when subjected to service level loads combinations as per IBC 2018. SECTION O104 REINFORCED CONCRETE FRAMES 0104.1 General. The design of reinforced concrete frames designated to be part of the LFRS shall meet the provisions of this section. O104.2 Materials. The specified materials shall satisfy or exceed the following minimum requirements: 157 1. Concrete. The specified 28 days concrete compressive strength for all components of the frame components shall not be less than three thousand pounds per square inches (3,000 psi). 2. Steel. All steel reinforcement shall consist of deformed bars with a minimum yield stress, Fy, of sixty thousand pounds per square inches (60,000 psi) conforming to ASTM A615- 09. Welding of steel reinforcement bars shall not be permitted. 0104.3 Minimum element dimensions. The depth of frame elements in the plane of the lateral load under consideration, shall not be less than twelve (12) inches in columns and eighteen (18) inches in beams, including the slab thickness when cast monolithically. In no case any frame element shall have a dimension of less than eight (8) inches. In addition, the minimum column cross sectional area shall not be less than one hundred forty-four (144) square inches. 0104.4 Minimum reinforcement. The beams of the frame shall be provided with at least two (2) #5 longitudinal reinforcing bars at bottom and top. In no case shall the minimum reinforcement provided in beams be less than the provisions of Section 10.5 of ACI 318-14. Transverse reinforcement shall consist of at least #3 closed stirrups spaced no farther apart than six (6) inches on center. The center of the splice for the positive (bottom) reinforcement shall be located at a distance of one-fourth (1/4) the clear span from the face of the support and shall have a splice length of thirty-six (36) times the bar diameter or eighteen (18) inches, whichever is greater. The negative (top) reinforcement shall be continuous throughout the supports, and the center of the splice shall be located at mid-span with an overlapping length of thirty (30) times the bar diameter or twelve (12) inches, whichever is greater. The longitudinal top and bottom reinforcement of beams shall terminate on exterior columns anchored with 90 degree standard hooks. The longitudinal reinforcement in columns shall not be less than eight (8) #5 bars. The longitudinal reinforcement of columns shall terminate anchored with 90 degree standard hooks. The footing dowels shall be spliced with the column longitudinal reinforcement at column mid-height with an overlapping of thirty-six (36) times the diameter of the longitudinal bars. Column transverse reinforcement shall consist of at least #3 closed ties spaced no farther than six (6) inches on center. Beam stirrups and column ties shall consist of closed hoops in accordance with ACI standards. In all columns, ties shall be extended through the column-beam joints. 0104.5 Minimum Area of Concrete Columns. The sum of the gross area of all concrete columns, in square inches and on the base floor must be at least 0.00325 times the total horizontal base shear Vu, in pounds. 0104.6 Required analysis of moment frames. The structural analysis of moment frames shall be performed by means of a rational analytical method accepted by the engineering community. The stiffness contribution and effects of moment frames with Concrete Masonry Units (CMU) infill shall be considered as per these provisions. SECTION O105 - REINFORCED CONCRETE WALLS 0105.1 General - The design of reinforced concrete walls designated to be part of the LFRS shall meet the provisions of this section. 158 0105.2 Materials. The specified materials shall satisfy or exceed the following minimum requirements: 1. Concrete - The specified 28 days concrete compressive strength for all walls shall not be less than three thousand pounds per square inches (3,000 psi). 2. Steel - All steel reinforcement shall consist of deformed bars with a minimum yield stress, Fy, of sixty thousand pounds per square inches (60,000 psi) conforming to ASTM A615- 09. Welding of steel reinforcement bars shall not be permitted. 0105.3 Minimum element dimensions. The length of the wall in the direction of the lateral load under consideration, shall not be less than forty-eight (48) inches. The perpendicular dimension of the wall shall not be less than eight (8) inches. 0105.4 Minimum reinforcement. The walls shall be provided with at least two (2) #5 longitudinal reinforcing bars at each end of the wall cross section, confined with #3 ties or hairpins spaced at six (6) inches along the wall height. In no case shall the minimum horizontal and vertical reinforcement provided in walls be less than 0.0025 times the gross area of the wall. The vertical and horizontal reinforcements shall not be spaced further apart than eighteen (18) inches. The longitudinal reinforcement of walls shall be anchored with 90 degree standard hooks. The footing dowels shall be spliced with the wall longitudinal reinforcement with an overlapping length of thirty-six (36) times the diameter of the longitudinal bars. 0105.5Minimum Area of Concrete Walls. The sum of the gross area of all concrete walls at the base floor must be at least 0.005 times the total gross area of the ground level.