Connecting Solar System Ground To House's Ground Rods?

[Sunking]

The wiring diagrams and instructions for my Combiner-box / Charge-Controller / Inverter / panel call for these devices it to be grounded.

I never said not to ground them.

I said you cannot have isolated or separate Ground Electrode System aka GES per NEC definitions. The GES must be common for all electrical systems. Otherwise if you were to have a fault or more importantly lightning strike near by, (does not have to hit your house, anywhere near by) would create a potential difference of thousands of volts. That is a recipe to be killed or have a fire start.

[J.P.M.]

Since advice on this forum is free, and free means I pay nothing, I try to keep in mind that I get what I pay for with no guarantees expressed or implied.

[foo1bar]

OP has not provided enough information. The advice given so far has been irresponsible.

I agree - is this PV system completely separate?
Or is it connected with the main house wiring already?

If it's completely separate (ex. is there for a standalone building that has no electrical service), having a separate ground rod I believe would be OK - just as having a separate ground rod for my house vs. my neighbor's house is OK (and required in that case)

If it's not completely separate, then there's a lot more that should be described about how it's set up.

[DanS26]

It is a common misconception that lightning goes straight into the ground. In most cases lightning will radiate from point of entry in a spoke pattern usually very close to the surface. If you have unbonded ground rods in that voltage gradient then it is quite likely that the high voltage differential created by the gradient field will now travel thru your equipment and above ground conductors to stabilize the gradient.

That is why you do not sink ground rods willy nilly all over your property without having them bonded together underground as ONE system.

[russ]

So are you saying that we should ignore the manufacturers of the Inverter, the Charge-Controller, etc ?

That none of these components need to be connected to ground?



When you buy a new car, the manufacturer says to change the oil every 5,000 miles, do you suggest that everyone should ignore that because changing the oil is dangerous?

Which wiring diagrams do we ignore, and which wiring diagrams do we decide to comply with?

Work with an electrician that knows what he is about and follow code.

Your analogy is pure BS.

[sensij]

What is right for one system may not be for another. OP has not provided enough information. The advice given so far has been irresponsible.

[organic farmer]

This is one reason DIY gets tricky and dangerous.

Reading a page out of NEC and applying it may be the wrong page.

So are you saying that we should ignore the manufacturers of the Inverter, the Charge-Controller, etc ?

That none of these components need to be connected to ground?



When you buy a new car, the manufacturer says to change the oil every 5,000 miles, do you suggest that everyone should ignore that because changing the oil is dangerous?

Which wiring diagrams do we ignore, and which wiring diagrams do we decide to comply with?

[russ]

This is one reason DIY gets tricky and dangerous.

Reading a page out of NEC and applying it may be the wrong page.

[organic farmer]

You have no idea what you are talking about and should not be giving anyone advice. What you advocate is extremely dangerous and does not comply with any known electrical codes, standards, or regulations. You advice can literally kill someone. What you do at your home is your problem and no one cares if you get yourself killed or burn down your home, but you have no business giving anyone else hurt. You can be held liable for such poor advice.

The wiring diagrams and instructions for my Combiner-box / Charge-Controller / Inverter / panel call for these devices it to be grounded.

[Sunking]

They need to be grounded separately.

You have no idea what you are talking about and should not be giving anyone advice. What you advocate is extremely dangerous and does not comply with any known electrical codes, standards, or regulations. You advice can literally kill someone. What you do at your home is your problem and no one cares if you get yourself killed or burn down your home, but you have no business giving anyone else hurt. You can be held liable for such poor advice.

[organic farmer]

My charge controller, battery bank, inverter etc. are inside my garage. I too did not want to have to deal with the heating system etc. So do you still have those grounded, or did you not ground your CC, inverter, etc?

Thanks

The wiring diagrams / instructions for my Charge-Controller / Inverter / panel call for these devices it to be grounded.

It is grounded.

The panel that my Charge-Controller and Inverter fit onto also has 3 SPDs. Every SPD must be connected to ground.



Our neighbors here have dealt with grid outages ever since grid power was brought into this town. Some homes have never connected to grid so they have never became addicted to electricity. Among the homes that generate electricity for themselves, I know at least one of them has destroyed a battery-bank because the batteries were allowed to freeze once. It might not be as much of an issue down South though.

[organic farmer]

But organic farmer just said you aren't suppose to use your house ground in any way? I'm a bit confused.

Having all grounds bonded does not hurt anything. I am connected to grid, so I can get grid power on days when the grid is up. That power-pole has it's own ground rod, and there is a ground wire that leads to my house [along with the power wires]. It is connected to my house ground, where there are separate ground rods. It is okay for separate ground rods to be connected.

Wherever you expect to see a lightning strike happen, you want a ground rod local to be spot, to provide the surge the nearest path to ground as possible.

... I don't want to cause issues to my house electronics if a lighting strike was to hit my solar system.

I agree.

Wires from my solar panels lead into a combiner box. That box has breakers for each string of panels, that box has a Surge Protection Device [SPD], and that box has it's own set of ground rods.

Ideally strikes that happen there will be lead to ground at the nearest location [out there], rather than being led toward my house.

[rs14smith]

I am in an area where lightning strikes are common.

Solar panels being outside, along with all of their wiring, are highly susceptible to voltage surges here. So here, it is recommended that all components that are subject to lightning strikes, have their own ground and
Surge Protection Devices.

As to the Charge-Controller, where is it? If it is outside and subject to lightning strikes, then, ....

Mine is not outside because I did not want to contend with heating the Battery-Bank structure. An entirely separate heating system was more than what I wanted to deal with.

My charge controller, battery bank, inverter etc. are inside my garage. I too did not want to have to deal with the heating system etc. So do you still have those grounded, or did you not ground your CC, inverter, etc?

Thanks

[organic farmer]

So, are you saying the solar panels need a separate ground and the charge controller, etc. need a separate ground as well?

I am in an area where lightning strikes are common.

Solar panels being outside, along with all of their wiring, are highly susceptible to voltage surges here. So here, it is recommended that all components that are subject to lightning strikes, have their own ground and
Surge Protection Devices.

As to the Charge-Controller, where is it? If it is outside and subject to lightning strikes, then, ....

Mine is not outside because I did not want to contend with heating the Battery-Bank structure. An entirely separate heating system was more than what I wanted to deal with.

[sensij]

Installing separate ground rods may not necessarily be the safest approach. You would need to share more information about your setup to get good advice (but even then it isn't assured). Panels, How they are wired, charge controller model, inverter model. The fact you have a house ground suggests more of a hybrid system than off grid, which also could complicate it.

NEC 690.47 may be what you want.