I would not do any of this for an offgrid client. It is against the rule of less is more. The whole design is flawed in my opinion.
Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar "we go where powerlines don't" http://members.sti.net/offgridsolar/ [1] e-mail offgridso...@sti.net [2] text 209 813 0060 On Tue, 4 May 2021 19:24:13 -0400, Dave Tedeyan wrote: I suppose the question here is - which is the worse failure mode? A. Solar turning off until an electrician can fix it. OR B. Not knowing the contactor failed until it does not open when the generator turns on and running the risk that the solar backfeeds the generator and breaks it. For off-grid maybe A would be more of a concern. But for grid tied, I would think option B would be worse. Does anyone have a fail safe method of doing this? Cheers, Dave On Tue, May 4, 2021, 4:41 PM Chris Schaefer wrote: Jason, A valid concern which is why I always wire them as powered open so if there is a failure it would transition closed or not open. Christopher On Tue, May 4, 2021 at 4:15 PM Jason Szumlanski wrote: What happens when the contactor fails? I don't trust a NC contactor that is supposed to open on 240Vac coil voltage from the generator. It's not a failsafe solution. Jason On Tue, May 4, 2021, 3:15 PM Drake wrote: P.S. The contactor method is even mentioned somewhere in the Outback literature. I've been using it for years. It is very simple and requires no complex equipment. It will not interfere with rapid shutdown. 40 A, 240 V contactors with 240 V coils are readily available and not terribly expensive. The 240 V output of the generator circuit provides the signal. At 10:02 AM 5/4/2021, you wrote: Get a contactor with a 240 VAC coil. Connect the coil wire wires to the 240 V output circuit of the generator, so when the generator comes on, the contactor opens. Run the current from the AC coupled Enphase inverters through the contacts from common to N/C. --- On 2021-05-03 10:26, Dave Tedeyan wrote: Hi All, I am planning on using a Sol-Ark for the first time for adding battery backup to an existing system. It is Enphase, so clearly it will be AC coupled, and there is a whole house generator. When I talked to Sol-Ark about it, they recommended putting the generator on a time of use schedule to not allow it to come on during the day so that we don't run into the issue of the solar backfeeding the generator. I was wondering though if anyone has just used a contactor to cut out the solar when the generator turns on? Something like Outback's GS-AC-Gen-Kit, although in this case I will need something rated for just over 30A. This seems like a better way to allow the generator to run at any time it is needed, especially if it is a gloomy, snowy, winter day. Cheers, Dave -- Dave Tedeyan, PE 1653 Slaterville Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 Cell: 607-288-2898 www.sungineersolar.com [6] _______________________________________________ List sponsored by Redwood Alliance Pay optional member dues here: http://re-wrenches.org [7] List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org [8] Change listserver email address & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org [9] There are two list archives for searching. 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