Means to satisfy 80% bus loading in side-tap

Status
Not open for further replies.
My Siemens distributor seems to be unable to find a 100% breaker for this application. Only for large switchgear.

Yeah I would not be surprised if you could not find a 100% breaker in a 200A frame. Siemens SJD breakers are available 100% rated. It's a 400A frame but available with a 200A setting. You could try another brand also, because remember this would need to be in its own enclosure anyway.
 
There's no question that with 164A of inverter maximum output current, your combiner panel busbar would need to be rated at least 205A, so you need to upsize your combiner panel. Unless there's a PCS system you can install that will monitor the relevant currents and disconnect an inverter if necessary to keep the total inverter current at most 160A. Which disconnection would never actually be required, given the PV geometry you've described.

Then there's the 4/0 Al feeder, which has a 75C ampacity of only 180A. For normal conditions you'd have to limit the maximum inverter output current on that feeder to 144A. Which again could be done via a hypothetical PCS that could disconnect inverters as required. Otherwise, you'd have to upsize the feeder to have an ampacity of 205A. If replacing the 4/0 Al is to be avoided, there are still a couple options:

Electrofelon mentioned using the 90C ampacity of the 4/0 Al, which is 205A. To do that on the grid end, you'd replace your 200A breaker with a 225A breaker, use a short section (4' is typical) of 75C 205A rated conductors to go to a splice box, and use a 90C splicing method to splice to the 4/0 Al. On the combiner end, I'm not sure if MLO lugs are already 90C rated? If so, nothing would be required. If not, you'd again use a splice box and a short section of 75C 205A conductors.

There's also the 100% rated breaker option. As I understand it, a 200A 100% rated breaker would need to be in its own enclosure. So you'd still have the 225A breaker supplying a short section of 75C 205A rated conductors to the 100% rated breaker, at the grid end of the 4/0 Al feeder.

Cheers, Wayne

Using the 90 degree "trick", it didn't occur to me that that would get you above 200 so you could next size up to a 225 OCPD. So there would be no need for the 100% breaker correct?
 
Using the 90 degree "trick", it didn't occur to me that that would get you above 200 so you could next size up to a 225 OCPD. So there would be no need for the 100% breaker correct?
That's how I see it.

Any info on whether the main lugs in an MLO panelboard are a 90C termination?

Cheers, Wayne
 
Can you replace one inverter with a lower power model? May be a lower cost solution.
It is common to over power inverters on the DC side. You have not described the DC side (inverters, array configuration, PV module ratings).
 
Can you replace one inverter with a lower power model? May be a lower cost solution.
It is common to over power inverters on the DC side. You have not described the DC side (inverters, array configuration, PV module ratings).
Yeah that may be the second simplest solution. The most simplest being disconnect the smallest inverter and tell the client it is not code compliant and to not hook it back up wink wink 😉 😇....
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top