Invertor siting best place?

[pirhead]

I am just wondering where the best place to site the invertor is. The notes from the course suggest the loft but can it be sited near the ccu. also what rating of RCBO should be fitted to the array. Thanks:teeth_smile:

 

[ian]

Most of the invertors I install I put in theloft. You can site them elsewhere, but the important thing to remember is thatthe length of the DC cables should be kept as short as possible, and theinverter should have lots of space round it for ventilation.

ian

 

[budwozza]

Most of the invertors I install I put in theloft. You can site them elsewhere, but the important thing to remember is thatthe length of the DC cables should be kept as short as possible, and theinverter should have lots of space round it for ventilation.

ian

Can you explain why you say the DC cables should be kept as short as possible ?

As far as I am aware and from the research I have done, DC has less cable loss than AC - obviously you can oversize the cable to help minimise this.

 

[edexlab]

The Dc runs can be quite long certainly longer than the <10 m Figure most people are told on the Pv courses ,the one I did the lecturer did a volt drop calc based on 230v most domestic systems will have voltages over 300v, and stated a maximum of 10m but when we had to do an example using a module sheet to calculate the array parameters etc he was proven wrong but still insisted it was bad practice with no reasons to justify it.
The length of run this is dependant on the voltage output from the panels, you can work this out manually or use sunny design for SMA inverters
the next thing you need to decide is how practical it is to run the Dc cable around the building ie how you are going to protect it from damage in accessible areas
We try to avoid putting inverters in lofts ,anything electronic will last longer in cooler conditions and most inverters derate there output when they get hot read the manufacturers instructions viewpoint (and install accordingly) it is to run