Recent content by wdwtx2.0

Both of my arrays are six steel pipes buried five feet deep. Obviously they are one big ground rod. They are also grounded via EGC back to my system ground at my breaker panel. No biggie. Nothing I can do about it.

Don't mean to hijack, but is one 6 battery rack of LLs, and one 6 battery rack of LP4s paralleled to an external bus bar a problem?

Use another bus bar to tie them together, and use the same length & gauge wire for each.

+1 to what robbob2112 said. Anything with a metal frame is bonded by the grounding conductor to one main earth ground rod, usually at the main AC breaker panel.

Here, we DO NOT ground the DC voltage. No conductors carrying DC voltage are connected to earth ground. Edit: Like you, my Solar property has no governing authority either, but I still follow National Electrical Code for safety. Some things I bend the rules on, but not on valid safety concerns.

You need to find someone from Australia to help you with the grounding (earthing) questions. Your code requirements may be completely different from American, or European standards. Hopefully one of your countrymen will see this thread, and can help out.

I use 600 amp bus bars on a 200ish amp system. No such thing as too big if it fits in the enclosure.

The only advantage I see is starting the solar production earlier, and ending it later. The total daily amount of PV produced will not change either way. There is no gain, it always averages out.

You asked me the question, I answered.

Just piggyback the wires to any 2 pole breaker.

Black wire to L1, Red wire to L2, Green wire to ground. You can attach the wires where the main panel wires tie into the panel, or piggyback them to any 2 pole breaker.

Midnite Solar SPD. It takes up no breaker spaces. Comes in different voltages as well. AC, or DC voltage available. Edit: Signature Solar has them for 92ish bucks on sale.

My 48V is AIO, I never thought about component systems : / My 12V system is component. The inverter would have to back feed AC to the PV charge controller (through the battery), which would have to back feed it to the PV panels. Don't know how likely that is.

It DOES matter to the NEC. I'm assuming you made a typo, or I am misunderstanding you. Any equipment connected to AC power and the PV wires can potentially back feed AC voltage to the PV panels. Rare, but happens occasionally. The only way a breaker (or fuse) would trip is if you run a ground...

You may or may not know it, but a ground wire from the panels to the house main ground is required by the NEC. Not trying to tell you your business, but it can keep bad things from happening to anyone who touches your PV panels in a fault condition. It is possible for your inverter to back feed...