Ground rods for solar light poles?

[Electron_Sam78]

I still don't see it as being premises wiring just a piece of equipment that happens to have wiring within it and is powered by on board components. Your car is also a piece of equipment powered by on board components and has wiring within it.

And yes I know the NEC does not apply to an automobile in general.

I believe you mentioned earlier the portable generator - What in the NEC covers a portable generator? The portable generator itself is likely a listed product also. When you connect it to a premises wiring system is when NEC comes into play.

I don't see the NEC applying. Is it a good idea to provide a grounding electrode for it - maybe. If lightning strikes it does it make much difference if there is a grounding electrode or if there isn't one? I really doubt it. If lightning strikes a pole connected to a premises wiring system can a lightning strike follow that premises wiring to other structures? Definitely.

on portable generators one example is section 250.34 in which it implies that if the portable generators don't meet the two stated requirements, a grounding electrode is required.

whether or not you think a GE is needed isn't really the issue, it whether or not it's required by the NEC and it seems like we're not going to agree.

 

[kwired]

on portable generators one example is section 250.34 in which it implies that if the portable generators don't meet the two stated requirements, a grounding electrode is required.

whether or not you think a GE is needed isn't really the issue, it whether or not it's required by the NEC and it seems like we're not going to agree.

250.34 is exactly what my point was all about. If all that is supplied is the receptacles mounted on the generator and utilization equipment is plugged directly into those receptacles Nothing else in the NEC really matters. No grounding electrode is required by this section (assuming the other condition is met - and it will be difficult to find a generator that does not comply with that unless it has been tampered with). Anything else plugged in is no more subject to NEC than anything you would plug in anywhere else, but its application to NEC has nothing to do with the fact it is plugged into a generator or not. This is exactly why people can buy portable generators and plug all they want into them and not pull any wiring permits to do so.

Now if you plug a cord into the generator that supplies premises wiring you run into more code issues, but again they apply to the premises wiring and not really to the generator that is supplying it as long as the generator has met 250.34, you are done with code issues involving the generator itself.

Back to the light pole that powered from within is likely a listed piece of equipment, possibly even including the pole, and NEC does not cover this listed item. It may cover premises wiring if any were to be field installed that connects to this equipment and runs to other equipment, but that is not the case with the OP.