Photovoltaic + Building: 8 Scenarios Prohibited!

Recently, the Housing and Urban-Rural Construction Bureau of Xinhui District, Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province issued a notice on the issuance of the "Xinhui District Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Project Construction Work Guidelines."

 

The document clarifies that the 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 Atlas (First Edition)", mainly including:

 

(1) Zonal Control Standards

 

(1) Prohibited Areas: The site selection of "Photovoltaic + Building" projects should comply with the national land spatial plan, and the building(s) on which the project is based 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 and D dangerous buildings and old houses with safety hazards;

 

② Buildings classified as Class A and B fire hazards;

 

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

 

④ Buildings included in the demolition plan;

 

⑤ Ancient buildings;

 

⑥ Historical buildings, watchtowers;

 

⑦ Scenic spots, historical and cultural (famous towns and villages) protection areas, traditional villages, heritage areas and buffer zones of world heritage sites, and buildings within the protection scope and construction control zones of cultural relics protection units that have an adverse impact on the overall appearance after installation;

 

⑧ Other buildings unsuitable for the installation of photovoltaic power generation.

 

(2) Appearance Control Areas: The construction of "Photovoltaic + Building" projects should follow the principle of classified control and reasonably determine the appearance control requirements based on the project location. "Photovoltaic + Building" projects in key areas such as urban entrance channels, main streets, town living room 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 the relevant standards and guidelines issued by our province.

 

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

 

The document proposes that 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), and the photovoltaic systems on the stairwell and the roof should be designed in layers, and the surrounding area should not be enclosed to form a building usable space.

 

The coverage area of photovoltaic components shall not exceed the outline of the main structure of the building. For buildings along streets in urban built-up areas, the coverage area of photovoltaic components shall be no less than 1 meter away from the outline of the main structure of the building on the street side. When installing photovoltaic power generation systems on flat roofs, parapet walls and other building components 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.

 

Original text is as follows:

 

Notice on Issuing the "Xinhui District Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Project Construction Work Guidelines"

 

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 "Xinhui District Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Project Construction Work Guidelines" 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

 

Xinhui District Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Project Construction Work Guidelines

 

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 architectural styles, strengthen the prevention and control of construction safety for 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 Atlas (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

 

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

 

(1) Zonal Control Standards

 

(1) Prohibited Areas: The site selection of "Photovoltaic + Building" projects should comply with the national land spatial plan, and the building(s) on which the project is based 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 and D dangerous buildings and old houses with safety hazards;

 

② Buildings classified as Class A and B fire hazards;

 

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

 

④ Buildings included in the demolition plan;

 

⑤ Ancient buildings;

 

⑥ Historical buildings, watchtowers;

 

⑦ Scenic spots, historical and cultural (famous towns and villages) protection areas, traditional villages, heritage areas and buffer zones of world heritage sites, and buildings within the protection scope and construction control zones of cultural relics protection units that have an adverse impact on the overall appearance after installation;

 

⑧ Other buildings unsuitable for the installation of photovoltaic power generation.

 

(2) Appearance Control Areas: The construction of "Photovoltaic + Building" projects should follow the principle of classified control and reasonably determine the appearance control requirements based on the project location. "Photovoltaic + Building" projects in key areas such as urban entrance channels, main streets, town living room 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 the relevant standards and guidelines issued by our province.

 

(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), and the photovoltaic systems on 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 structure of the building. For buildings along streets in urban built-up areas, the coverage area of photovoltaic components shall be no less than 1 meter away from the outline of the main structure of the building on the street side. When installing photovoltaic power generation systems on flat roofs, parapet walls and other building components 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

 

(I) Record-filing. Distributed photovoltaic power generation project construction units or individuals should follow the "Regulations on Record-filing 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 the Jiangmen Municipal Development and Reform Bureau, and determine the record-filing entity according to the principle of "who invests, who files". Household photovoltaic projects for natural persons are reported to the local power supply station or the Xin Hui Power Supply Bureau business hall, and the power grid enterprise acts as a centralized agent to file 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 filed by the investor, who handles the record-filing procedures on the Guangdong Provincial Investment Project Online Approval and Supervision Platform.

 

(II) Construction Reporting. Before the project starts, the construction unit should bring the "Xin Hui District Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Project Construction Reporting 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 reporting. For photovoltaic projects on rural houses (urban houses), reporting to the village (community) committee is also required. Distributed photovoltaic power generation projects that have not completed construction reporting are not allowed to start construction, and the power supply department will not issue grid connection approvals or plans. 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.

 

(III) 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 "Xin Hui District Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Project (Building Part) Project Completion Reporting Form" (Attachment 2) to the relevant town government (street office, park management committee) for project completion reporting. After completing the project completion reporting, the grid connection acceptance can be applied for at 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 project completion reporting has not been completed, the power supply department will not handle the grid connection acceptance. The town government (street office, park management committee) shall establish a "Record-filing Ledger for Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Projects" (Attachment 4) to strengthen the supervision of construction reporting, inspection, and project completion of distributed photovoltaic power generation projects.

 

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

 

(I) Improve and Perfect 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.

 

(II) Consolidate the Main Responsibilities of Enterprises. Construction units should strictly follow the standards such as "Technical Standard for Application of Building Photovoltaic Systems" GB/T 51368, "Guidelines for Safety Management of Power Construction Engineering Construction" NB/T 10096, "Safety Regulations for Power Supply in Construction Engineering Construction Sites" GB 50194, and our city's "Notice on Further Strengthening the Prevention of Safety in High-altitude Operations" and "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 safety education and safety technical briefings for workers entering the site, and strengthen safety control in aspects such as 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 specialized subcontractors and labor subcontractors, and submit the specialized 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.

 

(III) Tighten 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 hazard investigation and rectification ledger, and rectify on-site construction safety hazards at a fixed time, by a fixed person, and with fixed measures. Project safety management personnel should earnestly implement the pre-shift morning meeting system, inform construction workers of the safety risks of operations, improve the safety awareness of construction personnel, enhance safety prevention capabilities, and standardize construction operation procedures. 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.

 

(IV) Strengthen 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 heights that are prone to serious injuries or deaths. If hazards and problems are 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 start construction without completing construction reporting 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 individuals according to law.

 

IV. Other Requirements

 

(I) This guideline shall come into effect from the date of issuance. Photovoltaic power generation projects that have completed construction reporting, are under construction, or have been completed before the issuance of this guideline shall be managed according to the original work requirements of the relevant town government (street office, park management committee).

 

(II) For photovoltaic power generation projects installed on agricultural, water conservancy, and transportation projects, the competent authorities 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 reporting, inspection, and completion supervision of photovoltaic power generation projects.

 

Attachment: 1. Xin Hui District Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Project Construction Reporting Form

 

2. Xin Hui District Distributed Rooftop Photovoltaic (Building Part) Project Completion Reporting Form

 

3. Record-filing Ledger for Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Projects

 

4. Town (Street) Record-filing Ledger for Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation Projects

 

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

 

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