Photovoltaic + Building, 8 Scenarios Prohibited!

On May 13, the Housing and Urban-Rural Construction Bureau of Xinhui District, Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province released Notice on Issuing the "Construction Work Guidelines for Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Projects in Xinhui District" Notice.

 

The document clarifies that the requirements for the appearance control of "Photovoltaic + Building" rural house construction projects must comply with the requirements of the "Jiangmen City "Photovoltaic + Building" Appearance Control Guidelines and Collection (First Edition)", mainly including:

 

(1) Zonal Control Standards

 

(1) Prohibited Areas "Photovoltaic + Building" project locations should comply with national land spatial planning, and the buildings (structures) on which the project relies should be legal and compliant. Photovoltaic components should not be installed on the roofs of the following types of buildings:

 

① Buildings identified as Class C or D dangerous buildings and old houses with safety hazards;

 

② Buildings classified as Class A or B fire hazards;

 

③ Buildings surrounded by a large amount of dust and corrosive gases;

 

④ Buildings included in demolition plans;

 

⑤ Ancient buildings;

 

⑥ Historical buildings, watchtowers;

 

⑦ Buildings in scenic spots, historical and cultural protection areas (famous towns and villages), traditional villages, heritage areas and buffer zones of world heritage sites, and within the protection scope and construction control zones of cultural relics protection units that would negatively impact the overall appearance after installation;

 

⑧ Other buildings (structures) unsuitable for the addition of photovoltaic systems.

 

(2) Appearance Control Areas "Photovoltaic + Building" projects should be constructed according to the principle of classified control, and appearance control requirements should be reasonably determined based on the project location. "Photovoltaic + Building" projects in key areas such as urban entrance channels, main streets, town center commercial centers, greenways, parks, and national and provincial roads along historical and cultural towns and villages should be closely integrated with appearance construction and should meet the appearance control requirements in relevant provincial standards and guidelines.

 

(3) Suitable Areas Areas other than prohibited areas and appearance control areas.

 

The document states that when the building is a sloped roof structure, photovoltaic components should be installed along the slope, components should not exceed the highest point of the installed roof, and the vertical height of the component array surface from the installed roof should not exceed 30 centimeters; when the building is a flat roof structure, the highest point of the photovoltaic components installed on the roof should not be higher than 2.8 meters from the paved surface. For distributed photovoltaic projects in residential areas with stairwells, if photovoltaic components are installed on the roof of the stairwell, the highest point should not be higher than 1 meter from the stairwell roof (and the highest point should not be higher than 4 meters from the roof), and the photovoltaic systems on the stairwell and roof should be designed in layers, and no enclosures should be formed around them to create usable building space.

 

The coverage area of photovoltaic components should not exceed the outline of the main building structure. For buildings in urban built-up areas facing the street, the coverage area of photovoltaic components should be at least 1 meter away from the outline of the main building structure on the street side. When installing photovoltaic power generation systems on flat roofs, building components such as parapets should be used to appropriately enclose the photovoltaic components to ensure that they do not affect the appearance of the building facade and that there is no risk of high-altitude falling objects.

 

Original text is as follows:

 

Notice on Issuing the "Construction Work Guidelines for Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Projects in Xinhui District"

 

Xinjian [2025] No. 43

 

To the governments (offices, management committees, joint management committees) of various towns (streets, districts):

 

With the approval of the district people's government, the "Construction Work Guidelines for Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Projects in Xinhui District" are hereby issued to you for your earnest implementation.

 

Jiangmen Xinhui District Housing and Urban-Rural Construction Bureau Jiangmen Xinhui District Development and Reform Bureau

 

Jiangmen Xinhui District Natural Resources Bureau Jiangmen Xinhui District Urban Management and Comprehensive Law Enforcement Bureau

 

Jiangmen Xinhui District Emergency Management Bureau Guangdong Power Grid Co., Ltd. Jiangmen Xinhui Power Supply Bureau

 

May 12, 2025

 

Construction Work Guidelines for Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Projects in Xinhui District

 

In order to promote the application of distributed photovoltaic power generation in our district, standardize the planning, construction, and management of distributed photovoltaic power generation projects, promote the coordinated development of the photovoltaic industry and urban and rural building appearances, strengthen the prevention of construction safety in distributed photovoltaic projects, effectively curb the occurrence of construction safety accidents in distributed photovoltaic projects, and in accordance with the requirements of the "Notice on Strengthening the Supervision of Construction Safety of Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Projects in Our City" (Jiang Jian Zhi Han [2024] No. 52), the "Jiangmen City "Photovoltaic + Building" Appearance Control Guidelines and Collection (First Edition)", and the "Notice on Further Strengthening the Record-Keeping and Construction Management of Distributed Photovoltaic Projects in Our City", these work guidelines are formulated.

 

I. Appearance Control Requirements for "Photovoltaic + Building" Rural House Construction Projects

 

Must comply with the requirements of the "Jiangmen City "Photovoltaic + Building" Appearance Control Guidelines and Collection (First Edition)", mainly including:

 

(1) Zonal Control Standards

 

(1) Prohibited Areas: The location of "Photovoltaic + Building" projects should comply with national land spatial planning, and the buildings (structures) on which the project relies should be legal and compliant. Photovoltaic components should not be installed on the roofs of the following types of buildings:

 

① Buildings identified as Class C or D dangerous buildings and old houses with safety hazards;

 

② Buildings classified as Class A or B fire hazards;

 

③ Buildings surrounded by a large amount of dust and corrosive gases;

 

④ Buildings included in demolition plans;

 

⑤ Ancient buildings;

 

⑥ Historical buildings, watchtowers;

 

⑦ Buildings in scenic spots, historical and cultural protection areas (famous towns and villages), traditional villages, heritage areas and buffer zones of world heritage sites, and within the protection scope and construction control zones of cultural relics protection units that would negatively impact the overall appearance after installation;

 

⑧ Other buildings (structures) unsuitable for the addition of photovoltaic systems.

 

(2) Appearance Control Areas: The construction of "Photovoltaic + Building" projects should follow the principle of classified control, and appearance control requirements should be reasonably determined based on the project location. "Photovoltaic + Building" projects in key areas such as urban entrance channels, main streets, town center commercial centers, greenways, parks, and national and provincial roads along historical and cultural towns and villages should be closely integrated with appearance construction and should meet the appearance control requirements in relevant provincial standards and guidelines.

 

(3) Suitable Areas: Areas other than prohibited areas and appearance control areas.

 

(2) General Construction Standards

 

(1)When the building is a sloped roof structure, the photovoltaic components should be installed along the slope. The components should not exceed the highest point of the installed roof, and the vertical height of the component array surface from the installed roof should not exceed 30 centimeters; when the building is a flat roof structure, the highest point of the photovoltaic components installed on the roof should not be higher than 2.8 meters from the paved surface. For residential distributed photovoltaic projects with stairwells, if the photovoltaic components are installed on the roof of the stairwell, the highest point should not be higher than 1 meter from the roof of the stairwell (and the highest point should not be higher than 4 meters from the roof of the building). The photovoltaic systems of the stairwell and the roof should be designed in layers, and the surrounding area should not be enclosed to form a building usable space.

 

(2)The coverage area of photovoltaic components shall not exceed the outline of the main building structure. For buildings in urban built-up areas facing the street, the coverage area of photovoltaic components shall be no less than 1 meter away from the outline of the main building structure on the street side. When installing photovoltaic power generation systems on flat roofs, building components such as parapets should be used to properly enclose the photovoltaic components to ensure that they do not affect the appearance of the building facade and prevent high-altitude falling objects.

 

II. Standardizing the Construction Process of Photovoltaic Power Generation Projects

 

(1)Recordation. Distributed photovoltaic power generation project construction units or individuals should follow the "Regulations on Recordation Management of Power Construction Projects" (Dianjian Zizhi [2012] No. 69), the "Management Measures for the Development and Construction of Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation" (Guonengfa Xinenggui [2025] No. 7), and the relevant requirements of Jiangmen Municipal Development and Reform Bureau, and determine the recordation entity according to the principle of "who invests, who records". Household photovoltaic projects for natural persons are reported to the local power supply station or Xinhui Power Supply Bureau business hall for installation, and the power grid enterprise acts as a centralized agent to record with the district development and reform bureau; non-household photovoltaic projects for natural persons, general industrial and commercial, and large-scale industrial and commercial distributed photovoltaic projects are recorded by the investor, and the investor handles the recordation procedures on the Guangdong Provincial Investment Project Online Approval and Supervision Platform.

 

(2)Construction Report. Before the project starts, the construction unit should bring the "Xinhui District Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Project Construction Report Form" (Attachment 1) and the required materials to the local power supply station and town government (street office, park management committee) to handle the construction report. For rural houses (urban houses) photovoltaic projects, it is also necessary to report to the village (community) committee. Distributed photovoltaic power generation projects that have not completed the construction report shall not be started, and the power supply department shall not issue a grid connection approval or plan. Small distributed photovoltaic facilities with a non-operating height of less than 2.2 meters do not need to handle the "Construction Project Planning Permit" or "Rural Construction Planning Permit". For photovoltaic facilities that do not meet the above requirements, relevant procedures should be followed.

 

(3)Acceptance. After the completion of the distributed photovoltaic power generation project, the project construction unit shall organize the design, construction, supervision, commissioning and operation units to complete the acceptance procedures in accordance with the law and regulations, and submit the "Xinhui District Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Project (Building Part) Project Completion Report Form" (Attachment 2) to the relevant town government (street office, park management committee) for completion report. After completing the completion report, the grid connection acceptance can be applied for to the local power supply station according to the procedure. The local power supply station shall conduct grid connection acceptance according to the "Acceptance Opinion Form for Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Grid Connection" (Attachment 3). If the completion report has not been completed, the power supply department will not handle the grid connection acceptance. The town government (street office, park management committee) shall form a "Record Book for Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Project Report" (Attachment 4) to strengthen the supervision of the construction report, inspection, and completion of distributed photovoltaic power generation projects.

 

III. Strengthening the Supervision of the Construction Safety of Photovoltaic Power Generation Projects

 

(1)Improving and Perfecting the Supervision Mechanism. The town government (street office, park management committee) is responsible for the construction safety supervision of distributed photovoltaic power generation projects. The district development and reform, housing and urban-rural construction, emergency management, natural resources, and urban management comprehensive law enforcement departments shall guide the project town government (street office, park management committee) to carry out relevant work on the construction safety supervision of distributed photovoltaic power generation projects according to their functions. The town government (street office, park management committee) should strengthen daily construction safety inspections and verify the project start-up conditions on-site before the project starts. Before the 25th of each month, submit the "Monthly Inspection Record Form for Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Projects" (Attachment 5) to the District Housing and Urban-Rural Construction Bureau. The District Housing and Urban-Rural Construction Bureau collects and summarizes the data from the town governments (street offices, park management committees), and submits it to the Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Construction Bureau before the 28th of each month, and sends a copy to the District Development and Reform Bureau and the District Emergency Management Bureau.

 

(2)Consolidating the Main Responsibilities of Enterprises. Construction units should strictly follow the "Technical Standard for Application of Building Photovoltaic Systems" GB/T 51368, "Guiding Principles for Construction Safety Management of Power Construction Projects" NB/T 10096, "Safety Regulations for Power Supply in Construction Project Construction Sites" GB 50194, and other standards and documents such as the notice on further strengthening the safety prevention of high-altitude operations in our city and the notice on carrying out a city-wide special rectification campaign on high-altitude operations safety in industrial and mining enterprises (Jiang An Sheng Ban [2024] No. 111), implement the safety education and safety technical briefing for workers entering the site, and strengthen the safety control of high-altitude operations, lifting and hoisting, temporary power supply for construction, and fire safety at the construction site according to the actual situation of the project. The general contractor of the project shall audit the qualifications and personnel qualifications of professional subcontractors and labor subcontractors, and submit the professional subcontracting and labor subcontracting contracts to the construction unit for approval. Subcontracting and illegal subcontracting are strictly prohibited, and subcontracting units are included in the engineering safety management system. It is strictly forbidden to use subcontracting instead of management.

 

(3)Strengthening the Responsibilities of Enterprise Safety Management Personnel. The project manager of the construction unit should jointly organize weekly construction safety inspections with the project manager of the construction unit, check the on-site construction safety hazards item by item according to the "Construction Safety Inspection Form for Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Projects" (Attachment 6), record and establish a hidden danger investigation and rectification ledger, and rectify on-site construction safety hazards at regular intervals, with designated personnel and measures. Project safety management personnel should earnestly implement the pre-shift morning meeting system, inform the construction operation safety risks, improve the safety awareness of construction personnel, enhance safety prevention capabilities, and standardize the construction operation process. Establish a daily inspection system for specialized safety personnel to promptly discover, report, and rectify construction safety hazards, and truthfully record the construction safety log.

 

(4)Strengthening Supervision and Inspection. After the project starts, the District Housing and Urban-Rural Construction Bureau, together with the development and reform, emergency management, natural resources, urban management comprehensive law enforcement, and the superior industry authorities of the building (structure) or site-owning units or individuals, will conduct monthly supervision and inspection of the construction site safety production of distributed photovoltaic power generation projects, focusing on high-risk projects with complex construction site conditions and high operating surfaces that are prone to serious injuries and deaths. For hidden dangers and problems found during the inspection, the inspection team will inform the relevant responsible units in writing, and the town government (street office, park management committee) will follow up on the rectification. For illegal and irregular acts, the relevant responsible departments shall investigate and deal with them according to law. Among them, those who have not completed the construction report and have started construction without authorization shall be ordered by the local law enforcement department to stop work and rectify; if the photovoltaic power generation project is illegal construction, the local law enforcement department shall investigate and deal with it according to law; if a production safety accident occurs in the photovoltaic power generation project, the District Emergency Management Bureau or relevant departments shall impose penalties on the relevant responsible units and persons in charge according to law.

 

IV. Other Requirements

 

(1)This guideline shall be implemented from the date of issuance. Photovoltaic power generation projects that have completed construction reports, are under construction, and have been completed before the issuance of the guideline shall be managed according to the original work requirements of the relevant town government (street office, park management committee).

 

(2)For photovoltaic power generation projects installed on agricultural, water conservancy, and transportation projects, the competent departments of agriculture, water conservancy, and transportation shall refer to this guideline and, together with relevant functional departments, conduct supervision and inspection of photovoltaic power generation projects, and guide the relevant internal offices of the town government (street office, park management committee) to carry out construction reports, inspections, and completion supervision of photovoltaic power generation projects.

 

Attachment: 1. Construction Report Form for Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Project in Xinhui District

 

2. Completion Report Form for Distributed Rooftop Photovoltaic (Building Section) Project in Xinhui District

 

3. Filing Register for Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Projects

 

4. Filing Register for Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Projects in Townships (Streets)

 

5. Monthly Inspection Record Form for Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Projects

 

6. Construction Safety Inspection Form for Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Projects

 

Source: Xinhui District Housing and Urban-Rural Construction Bureau, Jiangmen City