DC Side Surge Protection NEC requirements

[innersurffer]

[h=2]DC Side Surge Protection NEC requirements[/h]

Originally we designed a projects with an engineer during an RFP stage as follows:


The final outcome was redesigned from a different engineering group came out as:






The project had been signed off by (2) customer engineers, and inspectors and was doing fine until we had lightning damage.
We are trying to mitigate the damage.

Question is does the NEC require SPD on the DC side?
Does the ground rod per array meet some level of lightning protection?
Would "errors and omissions insurance" cover this for the engineer that made the change? :?​

 

[jaggedben]

Question is does the NEC require SPD on the DC side?

No.

Does the ground rod per array meet some level of lightning protection?

I'd say that one of its purposes is to increase lightning protection, but not to any defined level. It is certainly not a substitute for an SPD.

Would "errors and omissions insurance" cover this for the engineer that made the change? :?

For his sake, I would hope so.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

If the codes do not require the protection and the design met standard engineering practices, I don't see any recovery from the engineers.

 

[SolarPro]

Agreed. Unless lightning protection system requirements are called out elsewhere in the bid package or project specs?and these were clearly ignored?I'm not sure how you get damages out of the engineer. Even then, the best lightning protection scheme won't protect equipment against a direct lightning strike. It is an Act of God. Perhaps it is covered by the facility owner's insurance?