Linseside PV connection

[JoeNorm]

I know this has been discussed here but I am talking myself in circles whether these are legal or not. I am used to making taps for a relatively large solar backed connection (greater than 60amps) on the load side of the first means of disconnect.

In this particular case it would be easier to connect on the line-side of a 200 amp disconnect, inside the disconnect enclosure.

Is this legal? I would be tapping #4 copper onto 4/0 al on the inside, so they would have no shutoff or until the 80amp PV disco downstream.

I am pretty sure people do this I am just unclear how its justified. Thanks

 

[JoeNorm]

I did just 705.11 which appears to make this connections perfectly legal.

 

[ceb58]

I did just 705.11 which appears to make this connections perfectly legal.

How do you do your taps?

 

[Hv&Lv]

I‘m looking at 705.12(A)
which takes you to 230.82(6)

I can see some changes coming in the 2020 but I don’t have it and don’t know what they would be.
seems likePV changes the most every cycle

I think it used to be 690 something in past editions..

 

[Designer101]

How do you do your taps?

I have doe taps using ILSCO CONNECTOR into service entrance conductors just above breaker before but I am not sure AHJ will allow it everywhere., also main meter combo panel don't have space to do those taps.

 

[ceb58]

I have doe taps using ILSCO CONNECTOR into service entrance conductors just above breaker before but I am not sure AHJ will allow it everywhere., also main meter combo panel don't have space to do those taps.

I have been doing electrical for 20 + years but have never done PV. I have taken a job with a solar company doing the electrical connections to the inverters and sub panel. They use supply line taps and just looking for information on the do's and don'ts.

 

[Designer101]

I have been doing electrical for 20 + years but have never done PV. I have taken a job with a solar company doing the electrical connections to the inverters and sub panel. They use supply line taps and just looking for information on the do's and don'ts.

an example job of line side tap into service entrance conductors

 

[jaggedben]

It is totally legal by the NEC, and has been for many years. Section number was changed for the 2020 NEC from 705.12(A) to 705.11. New 705.11 also added some clarity for details that were previously vague, although not the most important grounding and bonding questions. Use any connectors that are listed for the wire and voltage involved. I like to use oversized T-shaped Polaris type connectors, and pass the larger conductor through them without cutting. Just make sure you have enough space in the enclosure for your connectors, don't raise the question if you're violating the space requirements in chapter 3. (I think those are in article 312.)

 

[JoeNorm]

Does the NEC cover lugs in an enclosure and needing to be covered with tape, plastic, etc? Or is that just a best practices thing?

 

[jaggedben]

Does the NEC cover lugs in an enclosure and needing to be covered with tape, plastic, etc? Or is that just a best practices thing?

I think that's more of a product standard thing, as well as best practices.

 

[Carultch]

Does the NEC cover lugs in an enclosure and needing to be covered with tape, plastic, etc? Or is that just a best practices thing?

Anything factory-installed would all be part of the product listing. Anything you field-install, should not expose any live parts. Which would mean wrapping your split bolts with the split-bolt insulating tape, or using connectors that come with insulation.

There are standard distances of air gaps that are considered "enough insulation" given a particular voltage, which are used in the design of distribution equipment. Air is a good insulator, as long as the electric field (Volts/meter) doesn't exceed the breakdown strength. This is why you often see exposed live parts inside an enclosure, taking credit for air being an insulator, instead of seeing a physically-constructed insulating partition surrounding every live part.

 

[pv_n00b]

Be careful if it's a meter main. You can't tap the conductors between the meter and the main disconnect since those are factory installed. You can tap conductors that are field installed.

 

[sketchy]

Load tap, as long as there's OCP in the load side panel, and it's even easier.

 

[electrofelon]

I mostly do ground mounts, so I rarely (in fact I can't ever recall doing it) make a line side connection in an indoor load center. I typically replace the meter socket with class 320 and connect in there (actually I usually call it 230.40 exception #3 instead of a supply side connection, but that's another topic). Another way is just put a box or wireway under the meter. These methods might be a few hundred more in materials than tapping inside the load center, and probably a little more time. It depends on the situation.

 

[ceb58]

Load tap, as long as there's OCP in the load side panel, and it's even easier.

code reference?

 

[jaggedben]

code reference?

Assuming you want code that covers tapping a power source to a feeder (load side of service disconnect).

The code section number keeps changing, although the language more or less stays the same. You're looking in 705.12, for a section entitled 'Feeders'. I believe in 2014 it was 705.12(D)(2), in 2017 it was 705.12(B)(2), and in 2020 it is 705.12(2).