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Solar Array - Grounding

vantech

Hi,

Do solar arrays (the frames) need grounding? The inverters in most cases are DC (and isolated from mains) and indeed micro-inverters are class 2 with isolated DC inputs from the array. 

I think if the installation has a TN-C-S earthing system, connecting the roof frame to ground would potentially cause an issue if there was a PEN fault. 

I haven’t seen any solar installations with dedicated earth spikes, so can only assume they are left ungrounded, or (perhaps naively) connected to a PME earthing system. 

Thanks. 

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    Your mileage may vary  on a transformer-less inverter the actual guts of the solar panel take it in turns on alternate half cycles to be connected to the mains one way round or the other. I cannot find it now but a few years ago I posted a query where a colleague was looking at a solar installation where folk working on the roof were complaining of tingles that turned out to be a sort of half mains ripple on the metalwork, Earthing it, rather than letting it float  made the problem go away. I can see a problem with TNCs, but on a roof installation perhaps only folk with really long arms and legs will touch that and the true earth, so then being part of the indoors earth zone is probably OK, At least then if one panel was damaged and the internals faulted to the frame something would then trip.

    On the ground, I am less sure - perhaps to earth to an electrode....

    Mike.

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  • 0

    Your mileage may vary  on a transformer-less inverter the actual guts of the solar panel take it in turns on alternate half cycles to be connected to the mains one way round or the other. I cannot find it now but a few years ago I posted a query where a colleague was looking at a solar installation where folk working on the roof were complaining of tingles that turned out to be a sort of half mains ripple on the metalwork, Earthing it, rather than letting it float  made the problem go away. I can see a problem with TNCs, but on a roof installation perhaps only folk with really long arms and legs will touch that and the true earth, so then being part of the indoors earth zone is probably OK, At least then if one panel was damaged and the internals faulted to the frame something would then trip.

    On the ground, I am less sure - perhaps to earth to an electrode....

    Mike.

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