How To Wire Panels to Ground?

[AgroVenturesPeru]

Hello, How do you attach the ground wires to the panel array? Do you need to attach a separate wire for each support rail? or just attach a ground wire to one of the two support rails for each row of panels? Let me ask with a picture.





Here are the accesories I have to attach ground wires to the structures.





Also, how do you attach the wire? With pin terminals/ferrules? Ring terminals? Bare wire?

 

[HateGrid]

You must bond at least one rail to ground, but should do both. You just strip the insulation of the grounding wire where it goes into the screw terminal. After connecting, use a zinc spray over the entire connector to limit corrosion.

Here is some info for the Australian market from the "Allstar Solutions" installation manual that shows some of the details for you for using the rails for grounding. Where the rails butt together you need to add a ground bonding jumper, but it looks like you do not need to join rails together, so you are fine there.










Alternately, you can connect the ground bonding wire directly to each panel. This is more work, but is probably better from an electrical standpoint. The second option may be easier if you are not able to get the grounding lugs.

 

[AgroVenturesPeru]

If I can't get zinc spray, what should I use? Tinned copper lugs?

 

[Northernchateau]

If I can't get zinc spray, what should I use? Tinned copper lugs?

With any connections that sees weather or temperature changes I use Dielectric Grease.

 

[HateGrid]

If you cannot get a zinc spray, then try preventing moisture from getting into the connection by spraying with either a conformal coating (probably hard to get) or a good epoxy paint. Also, make sure that you use the star washer -- it cuts through the aluminium oxide layer to make a connection. I would personally use a star washer on either side for the aluminium solar frame.

 

[AgroVenturesPeru]

If you cannot get a zinc spray, then try preventing moisture from getting into the connection by spraying with either a conformal coating (probably hard to get) or a good epoxy paint. Also, make sure that you use the star washer -- it cuts through the aluminium oxide layer to make a connection. I would personally use a star washer on either side for the aluminium solar frame.

That's nice, but my structure kit supposedly already comes with the components necessary to ground the array. I don't think there is such a thing as a star washer.

Here's the infosheet for my structures:

 

[AgroVenturesPeru]

Hello, How do you attach the ground wires to the panel array? Do you need to attach a separate wire for each support rail? or just attach a ground wire to one of the two support rails for each row of panels? Let me ask with a picture.



View attachment 47914

Here are the accesories I have to attach ground wires to the structures.


View attachment 47911


Also, how do you attach the wire? With pin terminals/ferrules? Ring terminals? Bare wire?

To me it looks like this last component of mine would work best with a tinned copper ring terminal.

 

[HateGrid]

Your grounding connector clips onto the rail directly.



Just strip the grounding wire where it goes through the bottom screw.


It will look like this. The copper will corrode where it touches the aluminium when it gets wet which is why you use either a zinc spray or a water-tight coating such as epoxy paint to keep the connection dry. Some zinc sprays are zinc in epoxy which is even better.

 

[HateGrid]

For the panel grounding clips, these go between the panels and rails at the mid-clamp areas. Hopefully that answers the last of your questions and it is clear.

 

[AgroVenturesPeru]

For the panel grounding clips, these go between the panels and rails at the mid-clamp areas. Hopefully that answers the last of your questions and it is clear.

View attachment 48744 View attachment 48745

Ahh, so the panels actually end up sitting on top of those placas? At least that's what I think I'm seeing in your photo. And those only go under the internal separators, or both the external and internal separators, or it doesn't matter either way?

 

[AgroVenturesPeru]

Your grounding connector clips onto the rail directly.

View attachment 48740

Just strip the grounding wire where it goes through the bottom screw.
View attachment 48741

It will look like this. The copper will corrode where it touches the aluminium when it gets wet which is why you use either a zinc spray or a water-tight coating such as epoxy paint to keep the connection dry. Some zinc sprays are zinc in epoxy which is even better.

View attachment 48742

Actually we do have some epoxy base that we applied to our steel beams before painting them with black gloss paint. I'm not sure this epoxy base is what you have in mind. The process sounds kind of weird. I do have one of these https://www.amazon.es/Klein-Tools-1...keywords=klein+katapult&qid=1620870126&sr=8-5
But not sure if it can strip wire in the middle of a wire like that. How do you accomplish that? Wouldn't epoxy also decrease the conductivity of the connection?

Why wouldn't I just connect tinned ring terminals to the screws of the grounding connector clips? Seems like the easiest solution to me. I've got a kit on-hand of tinned copper ring terminals with heat shrink.

I actually did find out that I can get zinc spray and dielectric grease online here. Which would be the better product to get of the two?

One other question I wonder is, is this stuff pretty toxic? We do catch rainwater off our roof for shower water and drinking water. We do filter the drinking water though through a berkey filter.

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So, if I can go with one of those products, better, right? I should just forget the epoxy?

 

[Sanwizard]

Hello, How do you attach the ground wires to the panel array? Do you need to attach a separate wire for each support rail? or just attach a ground wire to one of the two support rails for each row of panels? Let me ask with a picture.



View attachment 47914

Here are the accesories I have to attach ground wires to the structures.


View attachment 47911


Also, how do you attach the wire? With pin terminals/ferrules? Ring terminals? Bare wire?

I think the small WEEB 9.5 grounding washers are now supported by code, but it may be just for ground mount systems. Just use them on each panel to ground to the rack, and then ground the rack to a ground rod. Dont forget lightning protection!

 

[HateGrid]

Ahh, so the panels actually end up sitting on top of those placas? At least that's what I think I'm seeing in your photo. And those only go under the internal separators, or both the external and internal separators, or it doesn't matter either way?

Just the internal separators which are the mid clamps.

 

[HateGrid]

Why wouldn't I just connect tinned ring terminals to the screws of the grounding connector clips? Seems like the easiest solution to me. I've got a kit on-hand of tinned copper ring terminals with heat shrink.

The screw on the grounding clip is designed to bottom against the grounding wire. The ideas with the clips is that the wire is continuous. If you use ring terminals you will need to use use toothed washer to cut into the aluminum. You stated earlier in the thread that you didn't have these and you wanted to use your ground clips. Unless the heat shrink is the glue type, it can trap moisture and cause more corrosion than if you didn't use heat shrink.

I do have one of these https://www.amazon.es/Klein-Tools-1...keywords=klein+katapult&qid=1620870126&sr=8-5
But not sure if it can strip wire in the middle of a wire like that. How do you accomplish that?

That should be able to strip the insulation in the middle. I have done that before without problems. The alternative is to use bare copper wire instead so you do not have to strip it. This is normally a building code question, but you do not appear to have to deal with that.

Wouldn't epoxy also decrease the conductivity of the connection?

It goes on AFTER you tighten the screw so it goes over the connection not in it.

I actually did find out that I can get zinc spray and dielectric grease online here. Which would be the better product to get of the two?

One other question I wonder is, is this stuff pretty toxic? We do catch rainwater off our roof for shower water and drinking water. We do filter the drinking water though through a berkey filter.

The dielectric grease will likely drip off when it gets hot, so the zinc spray is better. Zinc is not toxic and modern galvanization does not use lead, so you are fine. The wiring should be protected from the rain by the panels, so it will not get much water on it.