COMMON ELECTRICAL DRAWING SYMBOLS - Rooftop Solar PV System Designers and Installers

Oct 12, 2026

Upload by Aran

Training curriculum for PV designers and installers focusing on commonly used electrical drawing symbols, especially for installation and electrical drawings. Covers general drafting practices such as separating electrical systems from architectural or structural drawings, using appropriate symbol contrast, and drawing plans to scale while indicating approximate equipment locations. Includes guidance on electrical construction drawing sets and introduces key symbol groups for solar components, protection devices, converters, meters, switches, and common outlet and lighting representations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

General Drafting Practices

Electrical Symbols

Common Symbols

# Rooftop Solar PV System Designers andInstallers Training Curriculum APEC Secretariat March 2015 # COMMON ELECTRICALDRAWING SYMBOLS Training of PV Designer and Installer Asia-PacificEconomic Cooperation International CopperAssociationCopper Alliance To understand the commonly used electricalsymbols in drawings especially pertaining toinstallation drawings and electrical drawings. ## eneral Drafting Practices ·Electrical systems should be drawn separate from otherdrawings such as architectural,structural,mechanical. ·Electrical symbols should be drawn darker than thebackground drawing showing other systems and/or buildingstructure ·It is preferable that the solar PV electrical system drawing isdone separately from other electrical systems but referencingthem if it helps with clarity ·Electrical plans are generally drawn to scale,but graphicsymbols only indicate the approximate locations of electricalequipment eneral Drafting Practices ·CAD electrical construction drawings should be created at full scale as thiswill help to make the scale and print size uniform when printed with otherdrawings ·Use locally accepted standard practices when possible,otherwise a goodstandard to use is CAD Layer Guidelines published by the American Instituteof Architects ·A complete set of electrical construction drawings include the following: ·Plan for each structure and location/site with electrical installation ·Site plan(s)showing incoming utility services and substations,exteriortransformers,feeders,trunk lines,cables between buildings,etc ·Symbol list and abbreviation list ·Bill of materials for electrical systems ·One line diagram for the solar PV system ## Electrical Symbols While there are common electrical symbolsused in the industry,it is more importantthat locally accepted symbols are used soother people involved can also understandthe information conveyed in the drawings Electrical Symbols This is a solar cell and the commonsymbols for it.A solar panel usuallyconsists of many solar cells wired inseries and 2-3 of those in parallel.The upper symbol is normally used todenote a solar panel in a systemdiagram Solar Panel This is what the solar panels' simplified internal circuits look like.Inreality,the solar panels have blockingdiodes and usually have more than 1set of cells in series ## Electrical Symbols Z Over voltage protection Diode Wh Converter DC/DCConverting DC to DC InverterDC to AC Converter Representation battery Watt hour meterenergy meter SwitchContact closure or work ## Common Symbols | Switch outlets
Receptacle outlets
Lighting outlets
s Single pole switch
Celing outlet
Duplex receptacle outlet
Double pole switch
Drop cord
Duplex receptacle ground
fault circuit interrupter
Three way switch
Fan outlet
Weatherproof receptacle outlet s3
Four way switch
Triplex receptacle outlet
①
s
-◎ Junction boX
Key operated switch
Quadruplex receptacle outiet sx
Lamp holder
₅O
with pullswitch
Duplex receptacle
Switch and pilot lamp
×一×Exit light outlet
sP
outletsplit wired
Outlet controlled by low
voltage switching when
Weatherproof
Single special-purpose
Sc
◎-◎
relay is installed in
circuit breaker
receptacle outlet
outlet box
Surface or pendant
Range outlet
S.Weatherproof switch
individual fluorescent fixture
Recessed individual
Switch for low voltage
ow Special purpose connection
fluorescent fixture
switching system
◎ Clock hanger receptacle
Recessed incandescent
ST Time switch
Ceiing pull switch
Floor singie receptacle outlet
⑤
◎
Signaling system outlets
Underfloor duct and junction
,Switch and single
box for triple,double,or single
residential occupancies
receptacle
du

FAQs

Why should electrical systems be drawn separately from other disciplines in the drawings?

Keeping electrical work separate improves clarity, and referencing them when needed helps others understand the information without confusion.

What does the solar panel symbol represent in electrical drawings?

It denotes a solar panel in a system diagram, while the simplified internal circuit illustrates the panel’s typical series and parallel wiring of solar cells.

What information should a complete set of electrical construction drawings include?

It should include plans for each structure and location, site plans with utility services and substations, a symbol/abbreviation list, bills of materials, and a one-line diagram for the solar PV system.

Oct 12, 2026

Upload by Aran