Solar Backfeed Breaker Size
Use the ampacity tables to select the cable corresponding to the breaker size with a 30 amp breaker requiring a 10 3 cable a 40 amp breaker an 8 3 cable and a 50 amp breaker a 6 3 cable.
Solar backfeed breaker size. I am not a code expert or electrician. On one end you have a utility breaker feeding 100a. If a 200 a busbar has a 200 a main breaker the code allows adding a up to a 40 a backfeed breaker. Understand that corresponds to 32a of pv current maximum.
We sometimes see people adding a 60 or 80 a breaker instead. Select the breaker size that can carry the current with common breaker sizes being 30 amps 40 amps or 50 amps. Nec705 12 b 2 3 b states that where there are two power sources the grid and the solar inverter the sum of their breakers cannot equal more than 120 of the busbar rating of the breaker box. Having said that a 200a rated panel with a 200a main breaker would allow up to 40a of backfeed breakers placed at the opposite end of the panel busbars from the main breaker.
Now these are often included with some inverters but it s a good idea to check. On the other end you have a solar backfeeding breaker feeding x a. In the middle you have loads that consume these 100 x a connected in some order. Think of a bus as a wire.
Then looking at that photo again you can see i have a 30a 2 pole breaker at the other end for my solar inverter. It is rated 100a. How big can you make x to make sure that nowhere on the bus there s a current. To calculate the fuse size required between the string and the inverter s dc input you take 9 12 x 1 56 14 7 and round up to the next trade size of 15a.