Best Service Setup For Future Solar

[Ravenvalor]

Thanks for having this excellent source of knowledge for electricians.

Do you have to use a breaker to feed incoming power into an electrical panel from your solar system. Or if your panel has feed through lugs can you land your incoming power onto the feed through lugs and just have your solar disconnect switch right next to the panel. The customer wants to put a 200-amp panel in his wood shop, install solar on his wood shop and back feed solar power to his home. So in essence, the 200-amp circuit feeding the wood shop would serve the purpose of both sending power to the shop and also back feeding power to the home.

 

[jaggedben]

Nothing wrong with that in general. The panels will have to meet the rules in 705.12 (probably the "120% rule"). It actually simplifies meeting the rules if the solar comes through the feed through lugs and they are at the opposite end from the main breaker.

A utility could have a requirement for a disconnect near the meter, or something like that which messes up a nice plan. But by the NEC it's fine.

 

[Ravenvalor]

Nothing wrong with that in general. The panels will have to meet the rules in 705.12 (probably the "120% rule"). It actually simplifies meeting the rules if the solar comes through the feed through lugs and they are at the opposite end from the main breaker.

A utility could have a requirement for a disconnect near the meter, or something like that which messes up a nice plan. But by the NEC it's fine.

Since the meter will be right next to the panel I could actually put the switch directly below the meter as long as it does not protrude into the working space of the meter.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[ggunn]

Thanks for having this excellent source of knowledge for electricians.

Do you have to use a breaker to feed incoming power into an electrical panel from your solar system. Or if your panel has feed through lugs can you land your incoming power onto the feed through lugs and just have your solar disconnect switch right next to the panel. The customer wants to put a 200-amp panel in his wood shop, install solar on his wood shop and back feed solar power to his home. So in essence, the 200-amp circuit feeding the wood shop would serve the purpose of both sending power to the shop and also back feeding power to the home.

I encourage you to consult with a reputable solar company who has a working knowledge of Articles 690 and 705 when designing this project. The proposed sub panel is not the only consideration; the NEC has to be complied with in the main panel as well.