Ground Mount system - How far can I place from inverter?

1 Posts

Jul 8, 2009 09:06 am

I'm new to PV but have done MUCH reading over the past couple years.
I'm considering a system in the neighborhood of 2.5 Kw - grid tied with no battery. I have 6 acres of which there is a 3 acre area with no trees - yet shielded from view from the house. This area is about 150 yards from the house. My question is this.. "How much efficiency am I going to lose with that long of a cable run?" Or - is there a way to compensate for the long run with heavier cable?.
Thanks - any advice would be greatly appreciated

Ken Al

1 Posts

Jul 8, 2009 11:20 am

Re: Ground Mount system - How far can I place from inverter?

Whatever size wires you calculate you need, invert your power before transporting it for less losses. The reason why AC became the choice over DC is because it sustains significantly less losses in transmission.

James Cormican

578 Posts

Jul 8, 2009 04:55 pm

Re: Ground Mount system - How far can I place from inverter?

the voltage drop totally depends on the system and on the voltage it is wired for. I would bet that your 2.5kw system will not have any advantage by inverting it first if you are running a straight grid tie setup. likely your voltage will be well over 240vdc, making the dc run the more preferable one to make at length.

in order for somebody to do the calcs, they will need to know the array, and as close to the exact distance as possible. I would imagine, that the wires would be large, but not necessarily outrageous. the other bit of info that would be useful to your solar pro and/or your electrician would be what size your main service panel is rated for and if you have room for a backfeeding circuit breaker.

james
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Ken Hall

351 Posts

Jul 9, 2009 02:17 am

Re: Ground Mount system - How far can I place from inverter?

I would suggest you move it a lot closer to the house.
It will save you big bucks.

You can always build a fence or plant some shrubs to shield the view.

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Ground Mount system - How far can I place from inverter?

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