Many times the rating of the solar energy system exceeds the code-limited capacity (ampacity) of the bus bar. But in many cases, even without generators, the solar energy system is connected on the line side of the main disconnect. Current electric codes allow the breaker to be in other positions on the bus bar in some cases, or on feeder conductors if certain requirements are met. You say that without a generator the solar is connected to a breaker on in the main panel at the opposite end of the bus bar. If you have a $900 electric bill on a 200A service, please call me. a 180A solar energy system could be 60kW of solar capacity – enough to offset a $900 electric bill. Regardless, that is still a LOT of solar capacity. In Florida, it is 90% of the service rating typically. Now in reality, many utilities have lower limits. For example, if you have a 200A utility service and there is no load in the house and you connect 200A of solar inverter output, the entire solar supply will be fed back to the grid. You would not want to feed more solar amperes onto the utility conductors than they are designed to carry. If you connect your solar inverter output to the line side of the transfer switch, by code it cannot exceed the ampacity rating of the utility supply. The supply to the main breaker has nothing to do with it. That never happens from a practical standpoint, but it is technically possible. You could technically have a 1,000A utility service to your generator transfer switch and a 200A main breaker inside of it. Ultimately, it’s in our best interest to work together to keep homeowners safe and equipment operating properly.Ĭontact us today to discuss how we can help.Īn overload on the transfer switch’s main breaker can only come from the load side (an overLOAD). We partner with electricians to ensure a smooth customer experience. If you need advice prior to bidding or installing a standby generator or a critical load generator, do not hesitate to contact us. If you are in our service area, we would be happy to assist you with re-integrating a solar panel interconnection with your generator installation. There is a lot of misinformation floating around, shady solar contractors, and lack of consumer education on solar energy. These are two common consumer misconceptions that you need to be aware of when you encounter a client that has existing solar panels. Solar panels also can’t work in parallel with a generator to reduce fuel usage. It is important to note that solar panels cannot be used in a utility outage without batteries. Please watch this video for more information: Typical residential standby generators cannot. As a huge “battery” of sorts, the grid can handle this small amount of backfeed. Any time solar production exceeds loads in the building, solar inverters attempt to send power to the utility grid. If solar inverters “see” voltage from a generator, they will attempt to sync with the generator and backfeed power to it. They must be electrically isolated at all times. The bottom line is you cannot allow solar panels and a generator to work in parallel. There are too many scenarios to explain every one, but this is the most common question we come across. Whether you are installing a new whole-home backup generator with solar panels, or whether you are adding solar panels to a home with a backup generator, this article may apply. We have seen this time and time again, so we wanted to point out a correct way to integrate a grid-interactive solar energy system with a new whole-home generator. Warranties for generators or solar inverters can be voided by failing to take into account important factors. Licensed electricians often don’t realize they are creating a hazardous situation that could severely damage equipment. This article is intended for our colleagues who install whole-home generators in Southwest Florida.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |