@OffGridInTheCity I need to remind myself to buy you a beer (or suitable beverage); your assistance has been invaluable so far. I've been building software for 15 years, so I use the
StackExchange boards (
StackOverflow specifically) more than any other Q&A forums. I can definitely say that my experience on this forum so far is more/equally responsive and informative than SE. This is saying a lot since those boards get millions of views regularly (
50+ billion total from recent query). Big thanks to
@Will Prowse, as well, for all your efforts.
Most jurisdictions require a fireman's quick-disconnect (an off switch or breaker) near the panels on the outside. This can act as the off switch for you to work on things on the inside in lieu of a switch near the PIP - you just have to walk outside to toggle it.
You should also
1) Bond/ground the panels
2) Have a surge (lightning) arrestor on the panels wires coming in
https://www.solar-electric.com/mnspd600.html
But I'm not an inspector, its your DIY build, no judgements on my part. For me - it took some operational time for all these things - ground, lightning arrestor, circuit breakers, control box - to make sense. Perhaps the key thing at this point is to leave room for it
I do have an 8 foot ground rod I intend to install by the shed for proper ground. I can use this to ground whatever I need to. The surge/lightning protection I hadn't even considered, so... more research is needed. But, I agree, setting something up with room to grow is a good idea. I get the impression that best practices dictate protection at every point in the system, but also that it's common to start with the basics and implement the rest as you are comfortable doing so. I really want an operational system ASAP so I'm begining to chomp at the bit.
What continues to amaze me (as is the case with many technical projects) is that when you start to scope the project, it can seem straight forward: solar panels, charge controller, inverter, and batteries. Which might work fine in a simple use case... but of course, depending on the actual needs of your system, the scope creeps and you realize that the actual required components are more than you thought ;/
I hope to start putting this system together in the next week or so. I've got most everything either in my possession or ordered and on the way. Planning to build my own panel mounts, so we'll see how this goes. The brackets and hardware for tilted mounting seem expensive.
I'll definitely post pictures and I'm sure I'll flood this thread with plenty more newb questions!