norwaysledge
New User
- Location
- Arizona
- Occupation
- Welder
Hello I am completely new to this forum and I have a couple questions regarding setting up Earth Ground, ECG and Bonding of a 100% off grid solar power system.
First to note- there are no inspections being done on this setup and my objectives are:
1. SAFETY
2. protection of equipment as best as possible.
Here are my questions:
How do you treat the grounding of the solar panels? I went down this rabbit hole and ended up more confused than when I first started. I watched one of Mr. Holt's seminars on grounding and bonding and from what I gathered it is not a good idea to earth ground at the panels as well as ground at the service panel.... is this correct or was I misinterpreting this. Do you run EGC from the panels to the earth ground at the service panel?? completely confused on this now.... should I run a DC Ground Fault Interrupter from the PV to the combiner box? LOL I am not sure of anything with this anymore
Next, I would be running an ALL IN ONE Inverter/charge controller (EG4 6500) In the manual this is all it states on grounding: "This inverter/charger should be connected to a permanent grounded wiring system" "the grounding system must meet the requirements of the Authority Having Jurisdiction requirements in your area"
So would I run the grounding wire (along with the AC out wires) to the service panel and then bond the neutral to the ground at that point like a typical grid tie and then ground to earth from the service panel?
Also with the battery bank and the inverter- DO YOU or Should you run the EGC from the negative terminal on the battery and the chasis of the inverter to the service panel ground??
So to summarize, I am not dealing with Code Compliance so I want this done in a way that is practical and safe and from what I was watching/reading over the course of the last couple of months there seems to be a LOT of confusion with how to properly ground these types of systems. The Panels is where I seem to get the most conflicting information.
Also I should note that the Panels will be a ground mount system that is approximately 30 ft from the inverter/battery bank and the rest of the setup will be housed in a small utility room.
Kind regards and thank you for your help.
p.s.- go easy on me, I am obviously not an electrician and I DID run this past 2 different electricians and got conflicting information which is what led me down this rabbit hole in the first place....it is slightly concerning when 2 well qualified electricians have a couple different takes on the grounding.......
First to note- there are no inspections being done on this setup and my objectives are:
1. SAFETY
2. protection of equipment as best as possible.
Here are my questions:
How do you treat the grounding of the solar panels? I went down this rabbit hole and ended up more confused than when I first started. I watched one of Mr. Holt's seminars on grounding and bonding and from what I gathered it is not a good idea to earth ground at the panels as well as ground at the service panel.... is this correct or was I misinterpreting this. Do you run EGC from the panels to the earth ground at the service panel?? completely confused on this now.... should I run a DC Ground Fault Interrupter from the PV to the combiner box? LOL I am not sure of anything with this anymore
Next, I would be running an ALL IN ONE Inverter/charge controller (EG4 6500) In the manual this is all it states on grounding: "This inverter/charger should be connected to a permanent grounded wiring system" "the grounding system must meet the requirements of the Authority Having Jurisdiction requirements in your area"
So would I run the grounding wire (along with the AC out wires) to the service panel and then bond the neutral to the ground at that point like a typical grid tie and then ground to earth from the service panel?
Also with the battery bank and the inverter- DO YOU or Should you run the EGC from the negative terminal on the battery and the chasis of the inverter to the service panel ground??
So to summarize, I am not dealing with Code Compliance so I want this done in a way that is practical and safe and from what I was watching/reading over the course of the last couple of months there seems to be a LOT of confusion with how to properly ground these types of systems. The Panels is where I seem to get the most conflicting information.
Also I should note that the Panels will be a ground mount system that is approximately 30 ft from the inverter/battery bank and the rest of the setup will be housed in a small utility room.
Kind regards and thank you for your help.
p.s.- go easy on me, I am obviously not an electrician and I DID run this past 2 different electricians and got conflicting information which is what led me down this rabbit hole in the first place....it is slightly concerning when 2 well qualified electricians have a couple different takes on the grounding.......
