ZeusPythias
New Member
I’m designing and building my first small solar project. I don’t have much experience with solar however I’m entering this project with relative confidence given that I’m an electrical engineer for my local utility. My job is primarily substation construction and testing. Behind the fences of those substations follows a completely different set of rules than what would be considered residential Code by NEC standards. This is where I need help.
A little bit of background…
I have a side resale business in which I get store returned merchandise and overstock from Amazon, Walmart, etc. I have recently gotten a few bulk lots in stock that have had some brand new Renogy AGM batteries, a Renogy 100A MPPT controller, and some other things. So I decided to go ahead and build a solar battery back system.
The core of the system uses:
• 6- 12V 200ah Renogy AGM batteries wired to 36V
• Renogy Rover 100A MPPT Charge Controller
• WZRELB 6,000W Split Phase Inverter
•24- 100W Renogy Mono Solar panels (~2,400W)
• ProTran2- 10 Circuit transfer switch
•EcoWorthy 6 input PV combiner box with surge protection
The main system is in my basement near my service panel. The panels will be mounted onto my shed. The is approximately 30 feet from my house. I have aluminum rails and clamps that will be used. I also have grounding hardware and 6AWG bare copper that will ground all the rails. (Not sure if I need grounding rods…?)
My solar panels have a Voc= 24.3V and Isc= 5.21. I will have them wired 6 in series for 145.8V and those will go into the combiner box for a total current of 20.84A. After talking to Renogy this should be okay given the max input for the charger controller is 150VDC.
I’ll attach a rough copy of my draft schematic as well as what I’ve done so far. To me, this seems like a small system. And there is no grid-tie given the transfer switch isolates the system. I don’t know if not having the panels mounted on my main dwelling makes a difference or not, but I would like to know if this is going to need to be built to code and require a village inspection…?
I live about in the village of Oswego, IL btw. Thanks in advance for any help!
A little bit of background…
I have a side resale business in which I get store returned merchandise and overstock from Amazon, Walmart, etc. I have recently gotten a few bulk lots in stock that have had some brand new Renogy AGM batteries, a Renogy 100A MPPT controller, and some other things. So I decided to go ahead and build a solar battery back system.
The core of the system uses:
• 6- 12V 200ah Renogy AGM batteries wired to 36V
• Renogy Rover 100A MPPT Charge Controller
• WZRELB 6,000W Split Phase Inverter
•24- 100W Renogy Mono Solar panels (~2,400W)
• ProTran2- 10 Circuit transfer switch
•EcoWorthy 6 input PV combiner box with surge protection
The main system is in my basement near my service panel. The panels will be mounted onto my shed. The is approximately 30 feet from my house. I have aluminum rails and clamps that will be used. I also have grounding hardware and 6AWG bare copper that will ground all the rails. (Not sure if I need grounding rods…?)
My solar panels have a Voc= 24.3V and Isc= 5.21. I will have them wired 6 in series for 145.8V and those will go into the combiner box for a total current of 20.84A. After talking to Renogy this should be okay given the max input for the charger controller is 150VDC.
I’ll attach a rough copy of my draft schematic as well as what I’ve done so far. To me, this seems like a small system. And there is no grid-tie given the transfer switch isolates the system. I don’t know if not having the panels mounted on my main dwelling makes a difference or not, but I would like to know if this is going to need to be built to code and require a village inspection…?
I live about in the village of Oswego, IL btw. Thanks in advance for any help!
Yea that’s the only reason I was willing to push the limits! But then there’s the safety aspect of it. Fires suck! lol
. And you won't even have to pay ebay fees 
