Easy one: Do you need an additional electrode at a solar canopy/carport?

[ryangittens]

Say you have a metal solar canopy/carport in your parking lot that's 100ft away from your building's service which you are going to tie into. Could you just use the EGC coming off the array for grounding or do we need an additional GEC/Electrode near the structure itself (or have the electrode be the structure itself)?

We're in the 2011 NEC cycle until January.

The 2017 code says, "A building or structure supporting a PV array shall have a grounding electrode system installed per NEC part III of 250." I feel like the existing electrode system would be adequate as it goes on to say that additional electrodes at ground and roof-mounted arrays are optional.

Would you agree?


Thanks!

 

[Smart $]

Generally speaking, any electrified separate structure requires a grounding electrode system per 250.50.

 

[jaggedben]

Under the 2011 code, no I don't think an electrode is required if the circuit is a single branch circuit. (If you have an AC aggregation panel for multiple inverter outputs then 250.50 requires an electrode.) Under all other recent code cycles it would be required by 690.47(D) or (B).

 

[pv_n00b]

I've found it's pretty easy to make sure at least one of the posts meets the requirements of a grounding electrode.