Microinverter Grounding Requirements - Enphase vs Power One

[Zee]

Is choosing stranded wire for the run from the inverters a personal preference of yours? Could I also use solid wire?



Can one conductor be used to run run through inverters, panels and racking?

1.
Yes, personal reason, but linked to Code reasons. For the following reason:
The GEC must be "continuous and unspliced" all the way thru conduit, alL the way to MAIN or gr. rod!. With planning, this is doable.
Conduit requires stranded (for Code, or practical reason, not sure, but you need stranded in conduit )

I use THWN-2 stranded #8 GREEN....the slick insulation is great for conduit.

2.
As INETDOG said......YEs, in theory, one single long , and twisty , and repetitive conductor could bond all metal up on the roof.
Some solar guys think all bonding with a conductor needs to be "continuous and unspliced". Not true. They conflate GEC with EGC.
In practice if protected (under panels) #10 BARE, solid, COPPER EGC IS CHEAP AND EASY FOR FRAMES AND RACK: REMEMEBER: YOU WILL HAVE TO STRIP INSULATION AT EVERY DAMN LUG....

[Naptown]

1.
Yes, personal reason, but linked to Code reasons. For the following reason:
The GEC must be "continuous and unspliced" all the way thru conduit, alL the way to MAIN or gr. rod!. With planning, this is doable.
Conduit requires stranded (for Code, or practical reason, not sure, but you need stranded in conduit )

I use THWN-2 stranded #8 GREEN....the slick insulation is great for conduit.

2.
As INETDOG said......YEs, in theory, one single long , and twisty , and repetitive conductor could bond all metal up on the roof.
Some solar guys think all bonding with a conductor needs to be "continuous and unspliced". Not true. They conflate GEC with EGC.
In practice if protected (under panels) #10 BARE, solid, COPPER EGC IS CHEAP AND EASY FOR FRAMES AND RACK: REMEMEBER: YOU WILL HAVE TO STRIP INSULATION AT EVERY DAMN LUG....

HUH?
Minimum bonding wire Which is what we are talking about here is #8 not #10 Racks, modules etc are on the GEC.

[Zee]

HUH?
Minimum bonding wire Which is what we are talking about here is #8 not #10 Racks, modules etc are on the GEC.

I am not sure i understand your post.
Are you saying bonding for panles and rack must be #8?

[SharpT]

I am not sure i understand your post.
Are you saying bonding for panles and rack must be #8?

When you have microinverters, then I don't think it makes sense to run a separate ground wire to the panels/rack, since you are already running an 8AWG minimum ground from micro-inverter to micro-inverter, which is going also panel to panel.

So when I did my install I just used a single 8AWG micro-inverter, panel lug, micro-inverter, panel lug, rack lug, micro-inverter, panel, etc.... clean install with one ground wire on the roof.

I believe the discussion here is using micro-inverters, but there may be multiple threads going here.

Concerning grounding panels, I did notice in the Sharp installation manual an option to use a "lug" that only accepts 10 or 12AWG, so I presume this is legal. Again I didn't research this option since it made no sense to run multiple ground wires on my roof using micro-inverters.

--
SharpT

[Naptown]

I am not sure i understand your post.
Are you saying bonding for panles and rack must be #8?

Yes that is what I am saying