AS/NZS 5033 is the Australian and New Zealand standard for the installation and safety of PV arrays, and a compliant single-line diagram is part of documenting a system to it. In practice that means your SLD has to show the array, string and MPPT arrangement, isolation, protection and conductor details clearly enough to demonstrate the DC side is designed safely.
This article is general information for Australian installers, not compliance or legal advice. Always work from the current published standard and your local wiring rules, and confirm requirements with the relevant authority before installing.
What is AS/NZS 5033?
AS/NZS 5033 is the standard covering the installation and safety requirements for photovoltaic (PV) arrays in Australia and New Zealand. It sits alongside the AS/NZS 3000 wiring rules and governs the DC side of a solar installation: array configuration, isolation, protection, cabling and labelling. Compliance with it underpins both safety and the paperwork that lets a system be connected and have its STCs claimed.
What does AS/NZS 5033 require on a single-line diagram?
The single-line diagram should clearly show the DC design the standard is concerned with. In general terms that means:
- Array detail, including module type, quantity and how modules are grouped into strings.
- String and MPPT arrangement, showing how each string connects to the inverter inputs.
- DC isolation, with isolators shown in the correct positions.
- Protection, such as any string fusing where required by the design.
- Conductor information relevant to the DC circuits.
- Inverter and the transition to the AC side, through to the point of connection.
The aim is that someone reading the SLD can see the DC system is configured and protected appropriately for the array.
Why does the SLD matter for compliance?
Because it is the drawing that communicates the design to everyone who has to sign off on it: the installer, an inspector and the network. An SLD that accurately reflects an AS/NZS 5033-aligned design supports STC claims and grid-connection applications. One that is vague, generic or inconsistent with the install is a common reason paperwork is queried.
How do you produce an AS/NZS 5033-aligned SLD quickly?
Use SLD software built around the standard rather than a blank CAD file. Solar Proof's SLD editor uses AS/NZS 5033-aligned symbols and auto-populates the array, strings, MPPTs and inverter from your system design, so the structure the standard cares about is already represented and you confirm the detail rather than building it from nothing. You still need to check the result against the current standard for the specific job, but you are checking a draft, not starting from a blank page.
Frequently asked
Is a single-line diagram mandatory? An SLD is standard documentation requested for STC and grid-connection processes, and it should reflect the AS/NZS 5033-aligned design. Does Solar Proof guarantee compliance? No software can guarantee a specific job is compliant, that is the designer's and installer's responsibility, but Solar Proof's editor is built around the standard's requirements so the diagram starts from the right structure.
The bottom line
A compliant SLD under AS/NZS 5033 clearly shows the DC design, array, strings, MPPTs, isolation, protection and conductors, through to the grid connection. Drawing it in standard-aligned software gets you most of the way there automatically, but the final responsibility for compliance rests with the qualified designer and installer working from the current standard. See Solar Proof's SLD editor →
