Grounding my container?

[Checkthisout]

Yes. This makes sense and I already understood that. If the source of power is the panels. How does a EGC from the solar panels that goes to the grounding rod help provide a current path back to the source (in this case the the solar panels on top of a shipping container)? Typically DC and AC systems are are kept separate, no?

Grounding the container on the AC side makes sense. But if the panels are insulated from the container on top they would be a separate system. Let’s say the solar panels go directly to an AIO inverter. The case of the AIO has a EGC to the rod(or to a AC distribution panel which has a EGC to the rod) but the AIO is NG bonded on the AC side. Wouldn’t the solar positive and negative be separate. So even if you have a DC breaker between the solar panels and the AIO the ground has no bond to the negative side of the solar current carrying conductor.

Where would you make this bond between the solar negative and EGC? I guess this is where I’m getting confused because the majority of systems I’ve seen don’t show or atleast it isn’t obvious where this bond is taking place.

Read:

https://www.iaei.org/page/2021-01-grounding-and-bonding-solar-photovoltaic-systems

You'll see many AIO's lack internal grounding and you must do it yourself.

Many people do not. Study the difference between UL certified equip and the stuff most people use.

I'm not a safety Sally but $1200.00 AIO's with 600V DC input potentials are a new thing. As panels and wiring begin to decay, I suspect we will see more issues caused by improper PV negative grounding/bonding.

To Wit:

"A two-wire PV array with one functionally grounded conductor, as permitted, per 690.41(A)(1), is where one of the dc conductors from the array is grounded while the other is left ungrounded. In this configuration, the grounded conductor references ground through the inverter’s electronic circuitry, which also provides the ground-fault protection."

 

[Hedges]

Some inverter or SCC have PV negative connected to ground through a fuse or breaker. If a fault occurs from PV positive to ground, it clears the fuse and system detects that, shutting off.

Some transformerless inverters have galvanic connection from PV positive to whichever AC phase is positive at the moment, and PV negative to whichever AC phase is negative at the moment.

Tying PV frame to system ground, container ground, and earth rod (so AC and DC system grounds are tied together) ensures PV frame does not carry voltage relative to your structure or to the earth.