₦airaland Forum

earthrealm:
Not to rain on your parade,
might be more cost effective for you to sell these items abroad and not bother shipping it down.
Used 250w panel should be about 40k to 50k in nigeria. New one say about 60k to 75k.

Microinverters are not commonly used in nigeria as well

The panels were made in Canada. Not those China ones.

I'm not selling. I want to buy.

Batteries are included; AGM batteries.

isangjohnson:
Boss, this is a nice deal... Forget about the skeletal information given which the guy may not even know.
Let him handover the job to those able guys in Lekki Axis of Lagos and get the job polished. Lol

Good. You get my drift.

All these are not my forte.

I know absolutely nothing about solar and them' technical terms associated with them

Prince3:
No. He is telling you that the original price for a new one is around 15k dollar. But he will be giving it out for 5k dollar sir.

You got it right

The seller wants $5,500 Canadian dollars for it.

Aren't gonna pay him even that self.

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Jefferyzz:
Crown Ricco plus. Idle consumption is less or equal to 28w. It has a big toroidal transformer inside it. N d inverter is very heavy.

Okay thanks

NiyiOmoIyunade:
You may want to qualify that most of these are your opinions based perhaps on personal experience as they do not conform to electrical code.

The NEC and UK codes specify a single equipotential earth bond per facility - connect all earth rods and earth sinks/sources together externally. The single combined earth enhances personnel safety (check out 'step and fall potential') and a properly bonded system prevents loops and creates one large massive fault sink per facility where the whole is more effective than the sum of its parts.

Perhaps what you meant to say is that the PV earth cable should not be connected to the main DB but rather directly to the earth rod or busbar.

A proper inverter will make a neutral to earth bond whenever mains or Gen is not available, the code requirement is to have this neutral to earth bond in only 1 single place in the electrical system at any given time hence neutral is jumpered to earth at the service entrance or supply distribution - when the mains or Gen supply fails, the inverter will immediately make the bond and guarantee that earth leakage and residual current devices will trip quickly - again these are targeted more at personnel safety than anything else and need to be used in a compatible electrical system.

I am laboring a bit to explain the backend workings here because the UPS will never make the neutral to earth bond while powered from mains or inverter and as soon as supply is restored the UPS will break the bond. I advise people to not use a UPS unless uninterrupted supply is mission critical more because it is a waste of energy to keep the UPS battery topped off and also the losses within the equipment itself.

Take it or leave it Boss, DO NOT GROUND YOUR HOME APPLIANCES AND YOUR PV TO THE SAME GROUND, WEATHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY. THOSE IN LIGHTNING PRONE AREAS CAN TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THIS MY "PERSONAL OPINION" Those in North America can give accounts of their experiences.

Will you spend Millions of naira in setting up a Facility only to endanger it?
While you can avoid had I known by spending less than 200K more for a proper Earth for your PV Arrays.

If you have an opportunity to visit a Data Center please find out how the Earth System in the facility is built. They have Different Earths for Server Arrays, Network Arrays, Power Backup Arrays, PV Arrays, ETC

If you are in lightening prone areas please be warned once again.

NEC and UK codes are subject to be rewritten and you will be readvised as an upgrade to their earlier claim after you have fallen victim already, Check the Evolution of SPDs you will understand better.

Please does anybody know of a 24v inverter that could work down to 19

demandtruth:
The panels were made in Canada. Not those China ones.

I'm not selling. I want to buy.

Batteries are included; AGM batteries.

Ok CAD sef, not even usd @ 3500 if you are the one buying, its an ok deal ( any idea of the age of the panels?) it becomes a dilenma choosing btw say a 12 to 15yr old canadian panel vs brand new tier 1 or 2 made in china panel like yingli/trina.

2ndly you are buying AS IS, u wudnt be 100% sure the panels are working ok/will arrive undamaged .

u mention micro inverters for each panel and then mention another standalone 8.4kw inverter.....best you clarify this as well

4th, they are also coming with batteriues, thats extra jara...after testing you can still sell the bad batteries for some coins,.

demandtruth:
Offered for $5,500 Canadian dollars

I'm gonna counter-offer for $3,500 CAD

It costs me very little for freight in a container because of other vehicles in the container.

Clearing costs would be as personal effect. Which is little compared to costs of duty on the vehicles
that'll be in the container

Good as you've the knowledge about personal effect.
Make sure you manifest what you carry as personal effect, get the passport photocopy of the person involved and other supporting documents.
Good luck Boss.

Chizo11:
Please does anybody know of a 24v inverter that could work down to 18.5v - 19v
one the low voltage cutoff can be programmed to 18.5v

Victron inverters does that flawlessly.....

isangjohnson:
Good as you've the knowledge about personal effect.
Make sure you manifest what you carry as personal effect, get the passport photocopy of the person involved and other supporting documents.
Good luck Boss.

Thanks, man

earthrealm:
Ok CAD sef, not even usd @ 3500 if you are the one buying, its an ok deal ( any idea of the age of the panels?) it becomes a dilenma choosing btw say a 12 to 15yr old canadian panel vs brand new tier 1 or 2 made in china panel like yingli/trina.

2ndly you are buying AS IS, u wudnt be 100% sure the panels are working ok/will arrive undamaged .

u mention micro inverters for each panel and then mention another standalone 8.4kw inverter.....best you clarify this as well

4th, they are also coming with batteriues, thats extra jara...after testing you can still sell the bad batteries for some coins,.

The description of the items is written there.

They bought it 10yrs and a warranty of 8yrs is given; no question asked if returned

saint2ace:
Victron inverters does that flawlessly.....

Deye does that easily as well

One last observation: what is the voltage output of the inverter/inverters? We use 220-240volts AC in Nigeria

demandtruth:
The description of the items is written there.

They bought it 10yrs and a warranty of 8yrs is given; no question asked if returned

Hello house.

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High performance charge controller, you can view statistics and alter charge settings via mobile app
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Lumiax 40a 12,/24v mppt charge controller - 75k

Call/chat - 08117398294 to order

isangjohnson:
I'm still looking for 5kw 48v inverter with the following parameters:
1. Zero load power/idle power consumption <60w.
2. Mppt operating voltage range 60v to 150v.
Multiplus Victron 5kw 48v (zero load consumption 30w/35w, zero load power in search mode 10w/15w. 30kg) with its Mppt 150/60A has all that I need but I may need up to about 2m to acquire them.
Growatt has 5kw 48v spf hvm model with built in pure copper low frequency transformer/in build Mppt with operating voltage range 60v to 145v and 150v max open circuit voltage (41kg net weight) that suit my demand as well but I'm afraid of idle power consumption as it wasn't stated in its data sheet.
Please, let me know if anyone knows any inverter that will meet the above requirements.

You can check out SRNE Solar Hybrid Inverters.

https://www.srnesolar.com/product/solar-charge-inverter-hf4830s60

However, i recommend the latest model they just put out in the market.

https://www.srnesolar.com/product/solar-hybrid-inverter-high-voltage-series-hes48v-h

This was going for N600,000 as at 26/11/22

You can couple it together with its 5Kwh Energy Storage Battery going for N980,000

https://www.srnesolar.com/product/power-wall-inverter-with-energy-storage-battery-sr-eos

All products are sold by their authorized reseller and come with warranty. Contact HM Solar

HM Solar Co Ltd
10b Prince Jude Nwabueze Street, Greenfield Estate,
Ago Palace Way, Isolo, Lagos, Nigeria
Olive Estate, Alhaji Ganiyu Olaiya Street, off navy gate
Satellite Town, Lagos
+2348034490636
+2347040329474
+2349050884061
hmsolarcoltd@gmail.com

We should stick to what is science backed fact and accepted best practice.

DO NOT GROUND YOUR HOME APPLIANCES AND YOUR PV TO THE SAME GROUND, WEATHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY. THOSE IN LIGHTNING PRONE AREAS CAN TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THIS MY "PERSONAL OPINION" Those in North America can give accounts of their experiences. >>>> In North America, a facility must pass inspection per NEC and/or applicable local codes before it is put to use and before it can qualify for insurance. NEC and local codes invariably require an equipotential bond of all Earth electrodes in a facility. The overriding goal is personnel safety and secondarily equipment safety. To alleviate some of your fears, an equipotential bond creates resistances in parallel which reduces the overall system resistance. If you had 3 rods for your main Earth and 1 extra rod for your PV - connecting all 4 rods together externally with a suitable conductor will give an overall lower system resistance than either 3 rods alone or the 1 rod for your PV - the combined system is a far more effective fault sink when all Earth electrodes are bonded together. It is not that you cannot have an isolated/standalone Earth for PV systems situated some distance from the main facility - just that you expose personnel caught between the two isolated systems to harm and the electrical code always prioritizes personnel safety over equipment.

If you have an opportunity to visit a Data Center please find out how the Earth System in the facility is built. They have Different Earths for Server Arrays, Network Arrays, Power Backup Arrays, PV Arrays, ETC I happen to have some expertise and business experience setting up backup systems, UPSs and enhanced protection for data centers - the reason why the Earth systems are separate is not for safety but rather to achieve isolation and eliminate electrical 'noise' and loops from interfering with [sensitive] equipment - the rest of the facility must still implement an equipotential bond of the lightning protection system and general protective earth.

In all forums, the subject of Earthing, Grounding, Lightning and Surge Protection is oft misunderstood, mis-implemented and the subject of much controversy. Even the electrical code sometimes seems to give obtuse or confusing or contradictory recos but there is always a way to do it right for the use case. Every facility should have a risk assessment and decide how best to implement a suitable protection scheme that mitigates the specific risks that facility is exposed to.

I happen to live seaside and very near the Lagos Lagoon - we are prone to lightning hits yet I have had an equipotential bond in place for 8 years now - at current location, I setup a Lightning Protection System using Indelec Prevectron Early Streamer 2 meters above the highest point of my house and this is bonded to the rest of the facility's protective Earth - 3 sets of 6 foot rods spaced 18 feet apart for the LPS and 3 sets of 6 foot rods spaced 18 feet apart for the general Earth - all the rods and mats are bonded together by 25mm2 stranded cable and the rods are all encased in suitable permanent Ground Enhancement Material - the PV racks and frame are connected directly to one of the rods - this is the same scheme I implement at most customer installs and with access to a surge/strike counter, I can see how many times the LPS took and safely diverted a hit into the Earth with no residual faults getting into any protected equipment - I have SPDs scattered about but not installed in my power room - my power equipment are UL listed so a bit robust for handling voltage rise

jonescosmo:
Take it or leave it Boss, DO NOT GROUND YOUR HOME APPLIANCES AND YOUR PV TO THE SAME GROUND, WEATHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY. THOSE IN LIGHTNING PRONE AREAS CAN TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THIS MY "PERSONAL OPINION" Those in North America can give accounts of their experiences.

Will you spend Millions of naira in setting up a Facility only to endanger it?
While you can avoid had I known by spending less than 200K more for a proper Earth for your PV Arrays.

If you have an opportunity to visit a Data Center please find out how the Earth System in the facility is built. They have Different Earths for Server Arrays, Network Arrays, Power Backup Arrays, PV Arrays, ETC

If you are in lightening prone areas please be warned once again.

NEC and UK codes are subject to be rewritten and you will be readvised as an upgrade to their earlier claim after you have fallen victim already, Check the Evolution of SPDs you will understand better.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
We should stick to what is science backed fact and accepted best practice.

DO NOT GROUND YOUR HOME APPLIANCES AND YOUR PV TO THE SAME GROUND, WEATHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY. THOSE IN LIGHTNING PRONE AREAS CAN TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THIS MY "PERSONAL OPINION" Those in North America can give accounts of their experiences. >>>> In North America, a facility must pass inspection per NEC and/or applicable local codes before it is put to use and before it can qualify for insurance. NEC and local codes invariably require an equipotential bond of all Earth electrodes in a facility. The overriding goal is personnel safety and secondarily equipment safety. To alleviate some of your fears, an equipotential bond creates resistances in parallel which reduces the overall system resistance. If you had 3 rods for your main Earth and 1 extra rod for your PV - connecting all 4 rods together externally with a suitable conductor will give an overall lower system resistance than either 3 rods alone or the 1 rod for your PV - the combined system is a far more effective fault sink when all Earth electrodes are bonded together. It is not that you cannot have an isolated/standalone Earth for PV systems situated some distance from the main facility - just that you expose personnel caught between the two isolated systems to harm and the electrical code always prioritizes personnel safety over equipment.

If you have an opportunity to visit a Data Center please find out how the Earth System in the facility is built. They have Different Earths for Server Arrays, Network Arrays, Power Backup Arrays, PV Arrays, ETC I happen to have some expertise and business experience setting up backup systems, UPSs and enhanced protection for data centers - the reason why the Earth systems are separate is not for safety but rather to achieve isolation and eliminate electrical 'noise' and loops from interfering with [sensitive] equipment - the rest of the facility must still implement an equipotential bond of the lightning protection system and general protective earth.

In all forums, the subject of Earthing, Grounding, Lightning and Surge Protection is oft misunderstood, mis-implemented and the subject of much controversy. Even the electrical code sometimes seems to give obtuse or confusing or contradictory recos but there is always a way to do it right for the use case. Every facility should have a risk assessment and decide how best to implement a suitable protection scheme that mitigates the specific risks that facility is exposed to.

I happen to live seaside and very near the Lagos Lagoon - we are prone to lightning hits yet I have had an equipotential bond in place for 8 years now - at current location, I setup a Lightning Protection System using Indelec Prevectron Early Streamer 2 meters above the highest point of my house and this is bonded to the rest of the facility's protective Earth - 3 sets of 6 foot rods spaced 18 feet apart for the LPS and 3 sets of 6 foot rods spaced 18 feet apart for the general Earth - all the rods and mats are bonded together by 25mm2 stranded cable and the rods are all encased in suitable permanent Ground Enhancement Material - the PV racks and frame are connected directly to one of the rods - this is the same scheme I implement at most customer installs and with access to a surge/strike counter, I can see how many times the LPS took and safely diverted a hit into the Earth with no residual faults getting into any protected equipment - I have SPDs scattered about but not installed in my power room - my power equipment are UL listed so a bit robust for handling voltage rise

I almost felt guilty after reading this. This information is so packed with useful tips that it felt like it shouldn't be free. Thank you for sharing..

NiyiOmoIyunade:
We should stick to what is science backed fact and accepted best practice.

DO NOT GROUND YOUR HOME APPLIANCES AND YOUR PV TO THE SAME GROUND, WEATHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY. THOSE IN LIGHTNING PRONE AREAS CAN TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THIS MY "PERSONAL OPINION" Those in North America can give accounts of their experiences. >>>> In North America, a facility must pass inspection per NEC and/or applicable local codes before it is put to use and before it can qualify for insurance. NEC and local codes invariably require an equipotential bond of all Earth electrodes in a facility. The overriding goal is personnel safety and secondarily equipment safety. To alleviate some of your fears, an equipotential bond creates resistances in parallel which reduces the overall system resistance. If you had 3 rods for your main Earth and 1 extra rod for your PV - connecting all 4 rods together externally with a suitable conductor will give an overall lower system resistance than either 3 rods alone or the 1 rod for your PV - the combined system is a far more effective fault sink when all Earth electrodes are bonded together. It is not that you cannot have an isolated/standalone Earth for PV systems situated some distance from the main facility - just that you expose personnel caught between the two isolated systems to harm and the electrical code always prioritizes personnel safety over equipment.

If you have an opportunity to visit a Data Center please find out how the Earth System in the facility is built. They have Different Earths for Server Arrays, Network Arrays, Power Backup Arrays, PV Arrays, ETC I happen to have some expertise and business experience setting up backup systems, UPSs and enhanced protection for data centers - the reason why the Earth systems are separate is not for safety but rather to achieve isolation and eliminate electrical 'noise' and loops from interfering with [sensitive] equipment - the rest of the facility must still implement an equipotential bond of the lightning protection system and general protective earth.

In all forums, the subject of Earthing, Grounding, Lightning and Surge Protection is oft misunderstood, mis-implemented and the subject of much controversy. Even the electrical code sometimes seems to give obtuse or confusing or contradictory recos but there is always a way to do it right for the use case. Every facility should have a risk assessment and decide how best to implement a suitable protection scheme that mitigates the specific risks that facility is exposed to.

I happen to live seaside and very near the Lagos Lagoon - we are prone to lightning hits yet I have had an equipotential bond in place for 8 years now - at current location, I setup a Lightning Protection System using Indelec Prevectron Early Streamer 2 meters above the highest point of my house and this is bonded to the rest of the facility's protective Earth - 3 sets of 6 foot rods spaced 18 feet apart for the LPS and 3 sets of 6 foot rods spaced 18 feet apart for the general Earth - all the rods and mats are bonded together by 25mm2 stranded cable and the rods are all encased in suitable permanent Ground Enhancement Material - the PV racks and frame are connected directly to one of the rods - this is the same scheme I implement at most customer installs and with access to a surge/strike counter, I can see how many times the LPS took and safely diverted a hit into the Earth with no residual faults getting into any protected equipment - I have SPDs scattered about but not installed in my power room - my power equipment are UL listed so a bit robust for handling voltage rise

Hmmmmmm, While I might consider that you are misunderstanding my point, I stand to be corrected. However since we are talking about SCIENCE, Technically, yes they can be grounded together, But Practically, No, based on personal experiences.

It has been recently adviced that you should not combine PV/DC & AC grounds through the same earthing conductors. There are several articles covering this AC & DC Erthing Topic.

I will leave everyone to do their research about combining DC Earth and AC Earth together. While we all tend to play by the books and abey the rule of thumb, you can only improvise after learning our lessons the hard way.
We might have our individual understanding of the Electrical Erthing Rules. I recommend to the general public that
Google might be your best friend to find topics covering grounding ac and dc together.
Or you can read it up from fellow experts with sciencific backings.
https://www.google.com/search?q=grounding+ac+and+dc+together
https://www./advisable-combine-dc-ac-earthing-v-r-v/
https://samlexamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Inverters_Grounding_and_Neutral_Bonding.pdf


I rest my case. Peace

NiyiOmoIyunade:
We should stick to what is science backed fact and accepted best practice.

DO NOT GROUND YOUR HOME APPLIANCES AND YOUR PV TO THE SAME GROUND, WEATHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY. THOSE IN LIGHTNING PRONE AREAS CAN TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THIS MY "PERSONAL OPINION" Those in North America can give accounts of their experiences. >>>> In North America, a facility must pass inspection per NEC and/or applicable local codes before it is put to use and before it can qualify for insurance. NEC and local codes invariably require an equipotential bond of all Earth electrodes in a facility. The overriding goal is personnel safety and secondarily equipment safety. To alleviate some of your fears, an equipotential bond creates resistances in parallel which reduces the overall system resistance. If you had 3 rods for your main Earth and 1 extra rod for your PV - connecting all 4 rods together externally with a suitable conductor will give an overall lower system resistance than either 3 rods alone or the 1 rod for your PV - the combined system is a far more effective fault sink when all Earth electrodes are bonded together. It is not that you cannot have an isolated/standalone Earth for PV systems situated some distance from the main facility - just that you expose personnel caught between the two isolated systems to harm and the electrical code always prioritizes personnel safety over equipment.

If you have an opportunity to visit a Data Center please find out how the Earth System in the facility is built. They have Different Earths for Server Arrays, Network Arrays, Power Backup Arrays, PV Arrays, ETC I happen to have some expertise and business experience setting up backup systems, UPSs and enhanced protection for data centers - the reason why the Earth systems are separate is not for safety but rather to achieve isolation and eliminate electrical 'noise' and loops from interfering with [sensitive] equipment - the rest of the facility must still implement an equipotential bond of the lightning protection system and general protective earth.

In all forums, the subject of Earthing, Grounding, Lightning and Surge Protection is oft misunderstood, mis-implemented and the subject of much controversy. Even the electrical code sometimes seems to give obtuse or confusing or contradictory recos but there is always a way to do it right for the use case. Every facility should have a risk assessment and decide how best to implement a suitable protection scheme that mitigates the specific risks that facility is exposed to.

I happen to live seaside and very near the Lagos Lagoon - we are prone to lightning hits yet I have had an equipotential bond in place for 8 years now - at current location, I setup a Lightning Protection System using Indelec Prevectron Early Streamer 2 meters above the highest point of my house and this is bonded to the rest of the facility's protective Earth - 3 sets of 6 foot rods spaced 18 feet apart for the LPS and 3 sets of 6 foot rods spaced 18 feet apart for the general Earth - all the rods and mats are bonded together by 25mm2 stranded cable and the rods are all encased in suitable permanent Ground Enhancement Material - the PV racks and frame are connected directly to one of the rods - this is the same scheme I implement at most customer installs and with access to a surge/strike counter, I can see how many times the LPS took and safely diverted a hit into the Earth with no residual faults getting into any protected equipment - I have SPDs scattered about but not installed in my power room - my power equipment are UL listed so a bit robust for handling voltage rise

My broda na u gan gan b d lightening now o. Sha no come strike me

NiyiOmoIyunade:
We should stick to what is science backed fact and accepted best practice.

DO NOT GROUND YOUR HOME APPLIANCES AND YOUR PV TO THE SAME GROUND, WEATHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY. THOSE IN LIGHTNING PRONE AREAS CAN TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THIS MY "PERSONAL OPINION" Those in North America can give accounts of their experiences. >>>> In North America, a facility must pass inspection per NEC and/or applicable local codes before it is put to use and before it can qualify for insurance. NEC and local codes invariably require an equipotential bond of all Earth electrodes in a facility. The overriding goal is personnel safety and secondarily equipment safety. To alleviate some of your fears, an equipotential bond creates resistances in parallel which reduces the overall system resistance. If you had 3 rods for your main Earth and 1 extra rod for your PV - connecting all 4 rods together externally with a suitable conductor will give an overall lower system resistance than either 3 rods alone or the 1 rod for your PV - the combined system is a far more effective fault sink when all Earth electrodes are bonded together. It is not that you cannot have an isolated/standalone Earth for PV systems situated some distance from the main facility - just that you expose personnel caught between the two isolated systems to harm and the electrical code always prioritizes personnel safety over equipment.

If you have an opportunity to visit a Data Center please find out how the Earth System in the facility is built. They have Different Earths for Server Arrays, Network Arrays, Power Backup Arrays, PV Arrays, ETC I happen to have some expertise and business experience setting up backup systems, UPSs and enhanced protection for data centers - the reason why the Earth systems are separate is not for safety but rather to achieve isolation and eliminate electrical 'noise' and loops from interfering with [sensitive] equipment - the rest of the facility must still implement an equipotential bond of the lightning protection system and general protective earth.

In all forums, the subject of Earthing, Grounding, Lightning and Surge Protection is oft misunderstood, mis-implemented and the subject of much controversy. Even the electrical code sometimes seems to give obtuse or confusing or contradictory recos but there is always a way to do it right for the use case. Every facility should have a risk assessment and decide how best to implement a suitable protection scheme that mitigates the specific risks that facility is exposed to.

I happen to live seaside and very near the Lagos Lagoon - we are prone to lightning hits yet I have had an equipotential bond in place for 8 years now - at current location, I setup a Lightning Protection System using Indelec Prevectron Early Streamer 2 meters above the highest point of my house and this is bonded to the rest of the facility's protective Earth - 3 sets of 6 foot rods spaced 18 feet apart for the LPS and 3 sets of 6 foot rods spaced 18 feet apart for the general Earth - all the rods and mats are bonded together by 25mm2 stranded cable and the rods are all encased in suitable permanent Ground Enhancement Material - the PV racks and frame are connected directly to one of the rods - this is the same scheme I implement at most customer installs and with access to a surge/strike counter, I can see how many times the LPS took and safely diverted a hit into the Earth with no residual faults getting into any protected equipment - I have SPDs scattered about but not installed in my power room - my power equipment are UL listed so a bit robust for handling voltage rise

2 of una just the confuse us more. There is nothing wrong with both of you guys advice. You guys are arguing almost the same thing. Lol

mctfopt:
I almost felt guilty after reading this. This information is so packed with useful tips that it felt like it shouldn't be free. Thank you for sharing..

Stuffs I always copy and post on my status for people to learn too

There should be a way to pin / sticky such posts on a thread, and if that's not possible, I'll suggest an FTA reference library thread with only tutorial / how-to posts (read-only, maybe editable by a mod or something). That way new comers or anyone needing a refresher can get quick links to work with.

mctfopt:
If you want to DIY you will need the following:

1) Earth rod and earth clamp bolt
2) Earth mat, there are already made in the market, or you can buy 20mm or 25mm flat copper tape and DIY the thing.
3) 16mm² single core cable to run to the earth connection in db or changeover
4) Industrial salt
5) Charcoal
6) Cow/ or poultry droppings


1) Dig a hole (at least 4 feet)

2) Put your copper rod in and drive it down till it's flush with the ground

3) Use clamp to secure the 16mm² wire to the rod and make a good electrical connection to the earth mat. This wire will run to the final earth location which is your inverter in this instance.

4) Add industrial salt and charcoal.

5) Pour in water to mix.

6) Add the dung and pour in more water.

7) Finally, cover the hole

The whole purpose of providing earthing is to discharge the leakage/fault current safely to the ground. All these are just to increase the conductivity of the soil or reduce its resistance. Adding of charcoal, cow dung, industrial salt and water (termed as conditioning of pit) decreases soil resistivity. Industrial standards requires that the soil resiativity be less than 5 ohm.


A dedicated earth is just an earth for a particular device, the whole house may have an earth which may have failed or compromised, a new dedicated earth is just for the equipment you want to secure.


The experts may have other great ways of doing this.

While we may call it "DIY" and all that, we have to remember that this is actual Engineering going on with what different people here are doing. Engineering is backed by research and hard facts. There is a reason for electrical codes published to be adhered to.
So, in my opinion, you can't just say "from my experience" if it's not quantitatively documented, researched and maybe even published / peer-reviewed when you're standing against facts that have gone through that process. So have you done the research? Where are your documented findings? Have they been peer-reviewed?

In addition, from my own shikini knowledge (e don tey wey I read book), having 2 earths as described will lead to a situation where you create a "potential difference" from the sink points.
And that is where the risk / damage will occur.

jonescosmo:
Hmmmmmm, While I might consider that you are misunderstanding my point, I stand to be corrected. However since we are talking about SCIENCE, Technically, yes they can be grounded together, But Practically, No, based on personal experiences.

It has been recently adviced that you should not combine PV/DC & AC grounds through the same earthing conductors. There are several articles covering this AC & DC Erthing Topic.

I will leave everyone to do their research about combining DC Earth and AC Earth together. While we all tend to play by the books and abey the rule of thumb, you can only improvise after learning our lessons the hard way.
We might have our individual understanding of the Electrical Erthing Rules. I recommend to the general public that
Google might be your best friend to find topics covering grounding ac and dc together.
Or you can read it up from fellow experts with sciencific backings.
https://www.google.com/search?q=grounding+ac+and+dc+together
https://www./advisable-combine-dc-ac-earthing-v-r-v/
https://samlexamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Inverters_Grounding_and_Neutral_Bonding.pdf


I rest my case. Peace

olopan:
@ toyeoye
In addition to this, i will recommend schneider "Mureva Floodlight" they are quite versatile and can be on but without light, can perform a lot of function. you read up more of them to get better understanding.

Please more details.

Very little literature online.

Lots of videos but none in English

Actually not.

OP says connect your PV array/rack to a separate isolated Protective Earth rod system - DO NOT create a bond between the PV Protective Earth system and the general facility Protective Earth system.

All the codes say create an equipotential bond between all Protective Earth electrodes in a facility - this means connect the PV Protective Earth system to the Lightning Protection Earth system to the general faciilty Protective Earth system. The connection is made using a suitable conductor externally (and ideally buried in soil) to directly connect every Earth rod for whatever purpose to the next.

The big risk with isolated Earth systems is the possibility of fall or step potentials between them that could cause harm to personnel. Achieving acceptable level of personnel safety under normal operating and fault conditions is at the very core of electrical code

Prince3:
2 of una just the confuse us more. There is nothing wrong with both of you guys advice. You guys are arguing almost the same thing. Lol

Sadly we cannot use google for electrical safety and code compliance. It is also dangerous to rely on personal experience which contravenes accepted industry best practices and code.

The articles you have linked do not specify that one should not create an equipotential bond between all the Earth electrodes at a facility save for the LinkedIn guy and anyone who reads what he wrote can quickly decide if he can be relied on - I think the confusion is caused by our American friends who use the terms Earth and Earthing and Ground and Grounding in such a manner as to totally mislead the uninitiated. The UK and EU standards provide much better clarity.

1) Earth electrodes (rods/mats/pipes e.t.c) are all metal/conductive objects buried under the soil for the purpose of creating a protective fault sink and zero potential reference point.

All earth electrodes at a facility must be connected directly together to create an equipotential bond. One solid direct connection from Electrode A to Electrode B within one system and/or between System A and System B is preferred.

To clarify you could have 1 buried rod/electrode for your PV protection system, 2 buried rods/electrodes for your Lightning protection system and 3 buried rods for your general facility earth system - these 3 separate systems must all be solidly connected together externally to create the 'equipotential bond' that is so critical to enhanced personnel and equipment safety.

The electrodes and their bonding conductors are all to be buried under soil as much as possible.

2) Earthing is done by connecting the normally non current carrying part of equipment or circuit to the buried earth electrode.

Typically, the system of Earth electrodes created in (1) above would be taken into the facility via suitable conductor (sufficiently thick wire) and then solidly bonded to a bus bar aka the Earth service bus bar. The protective earth wire from the DB will be connected to this Earth service bus bar, thereby, all loads and equipment serviced from the DBs will have their protective earth connection.

All major energy generators and processors e.g inverters, charge controllers etc should have their protective earthing points connected directly to the Earth service bus bar by means of a solid mechanical connection using a suitably rated conductor. The metallic chassis if isolated from the equipment main earthing point shoulr also be connected directly to the Earth service bus bar.

3) Ground can be the neutral wire or current return path and sometimes even the protective earth. The problem is that the Americans use the term very loosely to mean the AC neutral or DC negative and sometimes the protective Earth or any of these 3 in combination or bonded together (grounding)

The reco to not ground AC and DC is therefore talking about not connecting the AC neutral and DC negative together (may cause noise and harmonics and nuisance or destructive loops) and sometimes also to not connect AC neutral to protective earth and DC negative to protective earth in thesame system (one sure fire way to roast most MSW inverters). It makes perfect sense to follow the above rule.

I have yet to see any benefits to tieing any DC negative to protective earth any ways and electrical code supports this branch off - for DC connections to protective Earth (PV systems, power supplies etc) one should connect only the frame/chassis/ordinarily non current conducting portions to protective earth.

'Grounding' the AC neutral by connecting it to protective earth came about fairly recently to guarantee that a large enough current would flow in fault situations to trip earth leakage or residual current devices and breakers very quickly and thereby disconnect the power supply to provide enhanced personnel safety. The service transformer in a 'compatible electrical network system' often has the transformer neutral grounded to the protective earth.

All I can say is If you must create an AC neutral connection to protective earth (AC ground) ensure that your situation needs it, your equipment and electrical network supports it and create this connection in ONLY 1 single place in the entire system at a time.

One could write an entire book on this subject and still not have done justice. I hope I have helped provide clarity.

jonescosmo:
Hmmmmmm, While I might consider that you are misunderstanding my point, I stand to be corrected. However since we are talking about SCIENCE, Technically, yes they can be grounded together, But Practically, No, based on personal experiences.

It has been recently adviced that you should not combine PV/DC & AC grounds through the same earthing conductors. There are several articles covering this AC & DC Erthing Topic.

I will leave everyone to do their research about combining DC Earth and AC Earth together. While we all tend to play by the books and abey the rule of thumb, you can only improvise after learning our lessons the hard way.
We might have our individual understanding of the Electrical Erthing Rules. I recommend to the general public that
Google might be your best friend to find topics covering grounding ac and dc together.
Or you can read it up from fellow experts with sciencific backings.
https://www.google.com/search?q=grounding+ac+and+dc+together
https://www./advisable-combine-dc-ac-earthing-v-r-v/
https://samlexamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Inverters_Grounding_and_Neutral_Bonding.pdf


I rest my case. Peace

I did a long response that made me sef tired

But a shorter rejoinder is below

Protective Earths and Earthing - Solidly connect all buried earth electrodes together at your facility be they electrodes for PV earth, lightning protection earth or general earth. This creates an overall better fault sink (lower combined resistance) and eliminates voltage gradients between isolated buried electrodes that could damage equipment and harm personnel.


Zero Reference Grounding - Do not connect either of AC neutral or DC negative to each other and do not connect AC neutral and DC negative to the same protective earth.

Do not connect DC negative to any protective earth at all - rather connect the chassis frame or ordinarily non current carrying part of the equipment to protective earth.

AC grounding - connecting the AC neutral to protective earth - should only be done when supported by the electrical network and all your connected equipment and is/has become a requirement for enhanced personnel and equipment safety.

Chassis and frame grounding - should be done in all cases - connect the chassis of your major energy generators and processors to protective earth - test for full isolation between the chassis and AC neutral and also between the chassis and DC negative before making the chassis to protective earth connection to avoid unintended behaviours.

Designated equipment earth point to protective earth - do in all cases. Do same checks as chassis and frame grounding above so that the system can behave in a predictable manner.

PV frame and mounting rack to protective earth - connect directly to the earth electrode or worst case the earth service bus bar

jonescosmo:
Hmmmmmm, While I might consider that you are misunderstanding my point, I stand to be corrected. However since we are talking about SCIENCE, Technically, yes they can be grounded together, But Practically, No, based on personal experiences.

It has been recently adviced that you should not combine PV/DC & AC grounds through the same earthing conductors. There are several articles covering this AC & DC Erthing Topic.

I will leave everyone to do their research about combining DC Earth and AC Earth together. While we all tend to play by the books and abey the rule of thumb, you can only improvise after learning our lessons the hard way.
We might have our individual understanding of the Electrical Erthing Rules. I recommend to the general public that
Google might be your best friend to find topics covering grounding ac and dc together.
Or you can read it up from fellow experts with sciencific backings.
https://www.google.com/search?q=grounding+ac+and+dc+together
https://www./advisable-combine-dc-ac-earthing-v-r-v/
https://samlexamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Inverters_Grounding_and_Neutral_Bonding.pdf


I rest my case. Peace

Where do u guys get energy to type this long?.. I haill.

NEC has a YouTube handle where they constantly review codes with practical illustrations. Don't forget to search for them and see things for yourself. Some of sub codes of Code 250 illustrates grounding for transformers this code was in 2013/2013 thereabout revised in Code 690.70 with the evolution of Inverters and PVs. It became an issue for code 250s and 690s because the countered each other.

You will find out that Codes of PV groundings are constantly being reviewed after some lightening related incidents had already done damages. they will speak all the grammars to defend the former code and also issue a revised code countering the former.

Someone asked in one of the videos:
"Remember that Codes about Earthing has been written a long time ago when we didn't have PV Panels, even if they existed it was not like what we have in the present scale, Are you saying we should just put our PV up the roof and hook the grounds to our house ground?"

The answer to that was:
"While research has continued in this topic, Yes you can hook them to your house ground but best practice is to rather hook them to you arrestor's earth pole which is not the same as your electrical appliances earth. Anything mounted high up on your is considered as a lightening receptor but if their Earth electrodes are less than 6feets apart, then there is no need for a second earth electrode and all Bonding must happen deep under the ground."

For those of us who have access to NEC codes articles, do yourself a favour by understanding how stuff works from your findings. So that you will not base your knowledge on personal assumptions.

FOR MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, I think I will follow the millions in the crowd who says while i have the CODES, I will take things a bit farther to protect my stuff. you can do your findings from videos and articles to see what people are doing in real life and not base on theories.

The image below was from one of NECs presentations. Since I have Zero Reference to my claims.

Zeal for the Lord's work ni o.

And the very faint hope that someone somewhere will benefit and all the sermonizing will help them do things right or avoid disaster.

dollarnaira:
Where do u guys get energy to type this long?.. I haill.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Zeal for the Lord's work ni o.

And the very faint hope that someone somewhere will benefit and all the sermonizing will help them do things right or avoid disaster.

Honestly oh, hehehehe