Is there a safe way to run an "off grid" system in my house

[Fred Jones]

Hi,

I have the following: (2) Renogy 100w Monocrystalline Panels configured in series, 20A MPPT Charge Controller, 12 Volt 125 AH battery, and a 500w pure sign wave inverter. I wanted a small system that I could use to run a few lights, run a small fan and charge my electronics doing so from a green source. (I live in PA and our electricity is cheap and made from coal so a Grid tie system did not make financial sense to me). Now my problem: I am confused on grounding and the more I read the more confused I get... I connected the ground from the inverter to a separate ground rod that I installed. I wanted an isolated system but the more I read the more I believe this was a mistake. Is it possible to run a separate system in my house and make it safe? I would rather not remove the inverter from the system, but the more I read this forum the more I'm thinking the only way to be safe is to run only DC loads from the 12 volt battery. I have a smart powerstrip that is telling me I do not have a ground. So I was thinking I should bond the neutral to the ground but this seems to be a mistake since that should only be done once in a service area. So I added a GFCI plug after the inverter hoping that would make things safer. I could use some help. Thanks.

[SunEagle]

Hi, I have the following: (2) Renogy 100w Monocrystalline Panels configured in series, 20A MPPT Charge Controller, 12 Volt 125 AH battery, and a 500w pure sign wave inverter. I wanted a small system that I could use to run a few lights, run a small fan and charge my electronics doing so from a green source. (I live in PA and our electricity is cheap and made from coal so a Grid tie system did not make financial sense to me). Now my problem: I am confused on grounding and the more I read the more confused I get... I connected the ground from the inverter to a separate ground rod that I installed. I wanted an isolated system but the more I read the more I believe this was a mistake. Is it possible to run a separate system in my house and make it safe? I would rather not remove the inverter from the system, but the more I read this forum the more I'm thinking the only way to be safe is to run only DC loads from the 12 volt battery. I have a smart powerstrip that is telling me I do not have a ground. So I was thinking I should bond the neutral to the ground but this seems to be a mistake since that should only be done once in a service area. So I added a GFCI plug after the inverter hoping that would make things safer. I could use some help. Thanks.

Hello Fred and welcome to Solar Panel Talk. My first question to you is if you are already paying very low electric rates to the grid why install an off grid system to generate electricity 10 times the cost of what you pay your POCO? If your answer is you want to be "green" then try to understand how "un-green" batteries really are. Without getting into specifics concerning your question, I would say to check with a licensed electrician that knows and understands the local electric codes.

[Sunking]

First thing you need to know there is absolutely nothing GREEN or ECONOMIC about an off-grid system. You are now paying up to 10 times more for electricity and a huge polluter. Congrats.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Disconnect the ground, it serves absolutely no purpose, and has nothing to do with safety on a battery system. It is a waste of time and money. All you need is a fuse on each polarity of the battery.