AC or DC line from ground mount?

[solar_trees]

Most ground mounts I see send DC power some distance back to the house or garage where the batteries are stored. But is there any advantage to doing this versus building some kind of mini-shed under or around the panels to hold the batteries and inverter and then sending AC power back to the house?

 

[Pete@SolarBatteryBarn]

With all the high VOC MPPT charger/inverters available now it if far cheaper to just run long PV wire back to the inverter.
If you send 4kW 500 feet at 400VDC over a single pair of 10 guage wire, voltage drop will be under 3%.

 

[SeaGal]

Depending on your location, the "mini-shed" may also need some form of heating for the batteries in Winter. You will likely need LAN connectivity to get data to/from the inverter and batteries. And theft/security could be an issue too.

Then there is the potential (excuse the pun) issue of 'voltage-rise' if the inverter is located a long way from the grid connection.

None of the above are show stoppers, but it will all depend on specific distances and suitable locations to house the equipment.

 

[solar_trees]

Do most jurisdictions still require UL listed components outside of dwellings?

 

[timselectric]

Do most jurisdictions still require UL listed components outside of dwellings?

Yes, unless it can be classified as portable.