shortcircuit2
Senior Member
- Location
- South of Bawstin
How is the requirement of ground fault protection as described in 690.5 provided for micro inverters?
690.5 Ground Fault Protection
- Thread starter shortcircuit2
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- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
Here is one way from Midnite solar and Another
jaggedben
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern California
- Occupation
- Solar and Energy Storage Installer
Dennis, neither of those products can be applied to micro-inverters.
Speaking about Enphase, their inverters have an internal GFDI circuit breaker. It is electronically resettable using the Envoy monitoring unit. (The installer or customer can reset it onsite by connecting a computer to the Envoy. Enphase can do it remotely if the Envoy is connected to the internet.)
I would assume any other brands of micro-inverters have similar features, but Enphase has been the only game in town until very recently.
Speaking about Enphase, their inverters have an internal GFDI circuit breaker. It is electronically resettable using the Envoy monitoring unit. (The installer or customer can reset it onsite by connecting a computer to the Envoy. Enphase can do it remotely if the Envoy is connected to the internet.)
I would assume any other brands of micro-inverters have similar features, but Enphase has been the only game in town until very recently.
BillK-AZ
Senior Member
- Location
- Mesa Arizona
The links provided by Dennis Alwon are not practical with micro inverters.
The AHJs I have had to deal with all consider the combination of a micro inverter (such as Enphase) and a PV module to be the same as an Alternating Current (ac) Module and that Art. 690.6 applies.
Perhaps the original poster is questioning 690.6(D) Ground Fault Protection (of ac modules). I am not aware of any Listed GFP devices that are available for use with ac modules. There must be some in development.
The AHJs I have had to deal with all consider the combination of a micro inverter (such as Enphase) and a PV module to be the same as an Alternating Current (ac) Module and that Art. 690.6 applies.
Perhaps the original poster is questioning 690.6(D) Ground Fault Protection (of ac modules). I am not aware of any Listed GFP devices that are available for use with ac modules. There must be some in development.
shortcircuit2
Senior Member
- Location
- South of Bawstin
Bill...I don't think that a seperate micro-inverter paired with a DC solar panel is a AC solar panel. I think a AC solar module will be an all in one product.
Ben...thanks for the GFDI explanation. I didn't see it specified in the data sheet...but did see mention of it in the install instructions.
Do you know if the GFDI is part of the listing for these inverters?
shortcircuit
Ben...thanks for the GFDI explanation. I didn't see it specified in the data sheet...but did see mention of it in the install instructions.
Do you know if the GFDI is part of the listing for these inverters?
shortcircuit
BillK-AZ
Senior Member
- Location
- Mesa Arizona
Enphase micro inverters such as the M190 have DC GFP at "1000 ma". No mention of AC GFP.
jaggedben
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern California
- Occupation
- Solar and Energy Storage Installer
Well then you are lucky. Every AHJ I've worked with holds that any exposed and disconnectable DC wiring triggers the requirements for a DC grounding electrode conductor.
It must be. DC GFDI is part of UL 1741, and the GFDI is integral to the device, which is UL listed. Only question I would have is if the Envoy (used to reset if GFI is tripped) is also part of the listing.
shortcircuit2
Senior Member
- Location
- South of Bawstin
The installation instructions list the GFDI trip at 1000 ma
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