I've been trying to get some help locally and even paid for a consult, but got nothing useful. So coming here to see if I can get some help.
The site is in Colorado and I'm trying to figure out the best way to do the grid interconnect and be code compliant. I've talked with the local state inspector and he says that he just inspects - very little guidance. This will be a grid tied whole house solar. Was thinking about going completely off-grid, but the rural co-op killed that idea
House was built in 2017 and was approved with a breaker service disconnect at the utility pedestal. The main service panel is inside the garage and the electrical service comes up out of the concrete floor and is behind a 2x4 formed wall cavity. The structural wall is 13" ICF wall (8" concrete and 2.5" foam on both faces). I have a limited amount of wall space on that wall due to windows, the main service panel is between two windows. The 2x4 wall cavity is 36" wide, but has a structural steel support post in the left most space between wall studs, just leaving a single 13" stud bay for any electrical pass throughs.
My current thought is that the SolArk15 will be mounted to the left of the main service panel on the inside wall. I'd have an 8x8x36 wire gutter below to do the wire runs inside. On the outside will be another 8x8x36 gutter for the wire runs outside. Looks like I need 3 pass throughs, a pair of 2.5" EMT and one 1" EMT to pass all of the wires from inside to outside and the other direction. Boring those holes through the ICF wall will be no fun. Outside I think I need a DPDT Xfer switch and I have to have a meter can for the rural co-ops production meter.
The PV is three strings using 10 awg wire plus I need something for an EGC - guessing I have to do 10 awg for that also? Was planning on using PVC conduit to bring PV wire into outside gutter. I currently have an 11kW Generac so those wires have to go through the wall also. The system will also have an LFP battery system positioned in the garage.
I have spent a bunch of time reading through NEC 2020 and have gotten bogged down as to what actually applies and under what conditions. It appears that the local state inspector does not adhere strictly to NEC 2020, which is good (acceptable batteries) and bad (not sure what he will allow). I've also spent hours and hours reading through threads on this forum gaining little bits and pieces of useful info for the system design in general - and I thank everyone for making this resource available.
So I'm hoping someone on this forum can help me out. Is what I've described viable : need more info, better way to do things, can't do it that way - here is how to do it, can't do it at all, or whatever.
Thanks,
Lowell
The site is in Colorado and I'm trying to figure out the best way to do the grid interconnect and be code compliant. I've talked with the local state inspector and he says that he just inspects - very little guidance. This will be a grid tied whole house solar. Was thinking about going completely off-grid, but the rural co-op killed that idea
House was built in 2017 and was approved with a breaker service disconnect at the utility pedestal. The main service panel is inside the garage and the electrical service comes up out of the concrete floor and is behind a 2x4 formed wall cavity. The structural wall is 13" ICF wall (8" concrete and 2.5" foam on both faces). I have a limited amount of wall space on that wall due to windows, the main service panel is between two windows. The 2x4 wall cavity is 36" wide, but has a structural steel support post in the left most space between wall studs, just leaving a single 13" stud bay for any electrical pass throughs.
My current thought is that the SolArk15 will be mounted to the left of the main service panel on the inside wall. I'd have an 8x8x36 wire gutter below to do the wire runs inside. On the outside will be another 8x8x36 gutter for the wire runs outside. Looks like I need 3 pass throughs, a pair of 2.5" EMT and one 1" EMT to pass all of the wires from inside to outside and the other direction. Boring those holes through the ICF wall will be no fun. Outside I think I need a DPDT Xfer switch and I have to have a meter can for the rural co-ops production meter.
The PV is three strings using 10 awg wire plus I need something for an EGC - guessing I have to do 10 awg for that also? Was planning on using PVC conduit to bring PV wire into outside gutter. I currently have an 11kW Generac so those wires have to go through the wall also. The system will also have an LFP battery system positioned in the garage.
I have spent a bunch of time reading through NEC 2020 and have gotten bogged down as to what actually applies and under what conditions. It appears that the local state inspector does not adhere strictly to NEC 2020, which is good (acceptable batteries) and bad (not sure what he will allow). I've also spent hours and hours reading through threads on this forum gaining little bits and pieces of useful info for the system design in general - and I thank everyone for making this resource available.
So I'm hoping someone on this forum can help me out. Is what I've described viable : need more info, better way to do things, can't do it that way - here is how to do it, can't do it at all, or whatever.
Thanks,
Lowell