Grounding and bonding for line side solar disconnect at a separate location

[wfalicki]

I've gotten several different answers on how to do this, would greatly appreciate the help!
So there's a main service at a building with a ground to neutral.
we're tapping off our main solar disconnect some hundred feet away outside line side of the service (the service is inside a building).
would a ground electrode be required to be installed at the solar disconnect, or must it be a direct gec to the existing ground rod? would we run a ground wire to connect that ges system to the main service ges, how would we do that? or does the neutral count as what ties the two ges systems together?
Can't find any code articles that say one way or the other, once again really appreciate the help!

 

[jaggedben]

If the PV disco is a hundred feet away then I would say it's its own structure and needs it's own grounding electrode(s). Grounding electrodes belong to structures.

With respect to other details, your post is lacking some possibly relevant info, such as where exactly you're making your line side connection, whether the building with a service is a dwelling, etc.

Since you say that you're doing a line side connection, most likely you could treat it the PV disconnect as an additonal service disconnect. That is, run hots and neutral (no green wire necessary) from your 'tap' to your PV disconnect, and then do an N-G bond (MBJ) and land GEC from electrode(s) in the PV disconnect. Hopefully I'm understanding your description clearly though.

 

[wfalicki]

Thank you for the reply! it would be interconnected on the pole where the utility meter is located. It's a commercial building. So the neutral counts as connecting the two ges systems together when it's a separate structure? I couldn't find an nec reference for that thank you. When it's close to the building though you'd have to tie it into the same ges and not drive separate rods? thanks, that was a big help

 

[jaggedben]

There is no general NEC requirement to connect the GES for different structures in a particular way. Sounds like you have a single service that's going to serve multiple structures (which is no problem). The grounding and bonding can be considered separately at each structure in this case. Yes, the neutrals will ultimately connect the two GES but that's just because the neutral is the conductor you ground at each service disconnect.

 

[jaggedben]

... When it's close to the building though you'd have to tie it into the same ges and not drive separate rods? thanks, that was a big help

Well, leaving aside 'close to' ....
Yes.
A GES belongs to a structure or building in the NEC. Anything that's required to be grounded at that same structure or building gets grounded to the same GES. A separate building or structure needs a separate GES.

How 'close to' a building or structure equipment has to be in order to be considered 'at' the same structure or building is not well defined, but I think a hundred feet will not be accepted by most people.