Solar battery charging

[Cacher_Chick]

I am hoping for some insight on this from the career electricians and/or others here who are versed in the trade. I have an empty lot with no utilities and have been using a battery powered pump to pull water from a channel for irrigation. I picked up a pair of used solar panels and a charge controller to recharge the battery. I have tested this with everything laying on the ground, functionally, it works great for what I need to accomplish. Now for the question- Since everything is stand-alone DC which is not tied into any structure or system, does this fall under the NEC?

 

[wwhitney]

Yes, it still is covered by the NEC per the scope in NEC 90.2(A). Interestingly, Wisconsin seems not to have adopted that section of the NEC, so I'm not sure how that works in Wisconsin:

Introduction: Introduction, Wisconsin Electrical Code 2017 | UpCodes

UpCodes offers a consolidated resource of construction and building code grouped by jurisdiction

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But what difference does it make? I don't think the NEC would impose any significant requirements on such a DC-microgrid, beyond what would best practices would entail anyway.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Cacher_Chick]

I am wondering because it will be something I only plan to use seasonally so I would rather just set it up and utilize it without wondering if the village is going to have to become involved.

 

[wwhitney]

Then you are going to have to determine why Wisconsin didn't adopt the scoping article of the NEC, what scope applies instead, what the rules (including length limit) are for temporary installations, and what the threshold is for pulling a permit. The latter two might vary by locality, depending on state law. So a lot of local research is required. Article 590 of the NEC also covers Temporary Installations, which may or may not apply.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[Clarice8419]

Interesting!!