I installed a 60watt solar panel on the top of my patio/pergola. This is wired to a charge controller then a battery in my basement. Do I need to run a ground from the solar panel? If so, whats the easiest way to do so? Is a wire attached to the aluminum frame then connected to a foot long rod into the ground enough?
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Although it is not essential for the satisfactory operation of your system, the manufacturers of solar panels recommend that solar panels be grounded. Grounding with respect to photovoltaic installations serves several purposes:
1. it bleeds off static electric charge built up from wind and rain;
2. it is an integral part of lightning protection;
3. it provides fault protection, whereby any shorts or faults in circuitry will conduct enough current to ground to trip circuit breakers or fuses and allow fault detection. It is recommended that the earth stake should have a resistance to ground of 25 ohm or less. For adequate lightning protection, between 1 ohm and 5 ohm resistance to ground gives fairly reliable lightning protection. You may need to find an electrician with a multimeter to set up a good grounding for your system. More detailed information may be obtained from the Rainbow Power Company.
From: http://www.rpc.com.au/reindex.html?http://www.rpc.com.au/products/panels/pvmodules/pvmodules.html
http://store.solar-electric.com/cipr1.html