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.

We sometimes see people adding a 60 or 80 a breaker instead. Understand that corresponds to 32a of pv current maximum. 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. If a 200 a busbar has a 200 a main breaker the code allows adding a up to a 40 a backfeed breaker.

I am not a code expert or electrician. However if we add our pv breakers into a sub panel that is dedicated to only the pv breakers we can land the sub panel into a 40a breaker in the main panel board 10 4a 21a 31 4a x 1 25 39 25a. Select the breaker size that can carry the current with common breaker sizes being 30 amps 40 amps or 50 amps. 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.

Then looking at that photo again you can see i have a 30a 2 pole breaker at the other end for my solar inverter. Now these are often included with some inverters but it s a good idea to check.