PV cables raceway installation
- Thread starter josealjim
- Start date
- Status
ggunn
PE (Electrical), NABCEP certified
- Location
- Austin, TX, USA
- Occupation
- Consulting Electrical Engineer - Photovoltaic Systems
If you are asking if the grounded DC conductor (if there is one) should be bonded to the conduit (or any other part of the equipment grounding or grounding electrode systems) the answer is an emphatic NO. Doing that will defeat the ground fault detection function of the inverter.
MasterTheNEC
CEO and President of Electrical Code Academy, Inc.
- Location
- McKinney, Texas
- Occupation
- CEO
Well...I am going to say answer "Smart $" question first then direct you to Section 690.43 for more reading.
Im asking if the metallic conduits should be grounded at both ends of the trench (18m). The IMC conduits run from the handhole right next to the strings to the handhole you can see at the pic, and from there to the inverters by EMT conduits.
This is thailand so we dont follow your 690.43 there is a huge lack of standards here. Engineers where i work dont care about what installers do or if that is the best and safest solution. This is the first time i work with PV or any grounding/earthing system at the site and i do care about what is the best and why is the best no just because your NEC says so (Ex: there are many experts in this forum that do not agree with some NEC points regarding lighting protection ) so please rather help me with reasons than send me to the NEC (IF U LIKE OF COURSE).
EDIT: LANGUAGE
Last edited by a moderator:
They are sleeves, these IMCs go from the handhole right near the solar parking pv strings (no combiner box, direct string connection to inverter) to the handhole u see at the pic ( underground about 18m to cross the street).
From the handhole you see at the pic, the 16sqmm grounding cable goes underground to the earthing ring of the building by HDPE , the 8 strings cables to the inverter by EMC and the EGC to the inverter by a different EMC ( strings cables EMC and EGC EMC go attached to our building ceiling)
Thanks, i do really appreciate your help guys.
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
You sound like my kind of engineer.
Last edited by a moderator:
From an NEC perspective, the metal conduit is not required to be bonded, assuming the HDPE conduit is continuous through each section... though debatable because NEC says short sections... I wouldn't consider 80m as short. Yet that is countered because (I assume) the majority is underground. The part that could be required to be bonded is any exposed portion where it emerges from under ground.
From a safety perspective, wouldn't hurt to bond the metal conduit to the EGC.
Last edited:
MasterTheNEC
CEO and President of Electrical Code Academy, Inc.
- Location
- McKinney, Texas
- Occupation
- CEO
Understood. However, to understand the "minimum" safety standards that are accepted in a country where we at least do have some "minimal" safety standards I would always refer you to such in order to establish a basis for any minimal safety standard recommendations. You can ask for opinions online but that is all they are, the NEC is a vetted process of "agreed" codified language that opinions can be formulated based on. Then at that point we can argue our "opinions" openly in this "friendly" (tongue in cheek statement) forum.
Hope others will be able to assist you. I base my opinions on the aspects of a "minimum" code standard and work from that point. If their is something I disagree with I submit a proposal that is "well substantiated" in hopes that others will agree. Good luck on your journey as their indeed are some finely gifted individuals here that may be able to assist you.
- Status