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I'm connecting a 30 amp double pole breaker into my panel to run a generator. I'm also putting in an interlock kit for the main 150 breaker. I have solar no breaker in the panel. Just line taps. Do I need to turn the solar system off when running on generator power? I'm just concerned when the grid power returns. If I leave the solar alone it should go back to the grid? Till I stop the generator and switch back the interlock. Does this sound right? Any comments will be appreciated... Thank you

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  • Not really, cause my solar don't have no breakers in the panel.. but thanks for reading my question and responding
    – Mike
    Commented Dec 20, 2022 at 18:58

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It sounds like you have a grid-tie solar system that uses vampire taps on the incoming service wires. I'm not a fan, but okay.

Since the solar will be on the utility side of the main breaker, and since you say you are using a generator interlock so the main must be off while on generator, the solar will be connected to the utility side and will not talk to the generator.

Regardless, the solar isn't going to talk to the generator even if it was on the generator side. There is a standard all grid-tied solar inverters must meet, called UL 1741. It is paying close attention to power stability, because it must quickly disconnect if the utility grid goes away. It will not power up on a generator because generator power isn't stable enough. There is a special type of inverter called a grid-forming inverter able to create that stable power and trick the panels into powering up. Such an inverter requires a battery or it won't work. But nobody who's into generators is into inverter+battery+solar, so it's a non-seller.

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  • Thank you very much. Your comments are what I was thought. Just making sure. (And you just did) thanks again for your thoughts.
    – Mike
    Commented Dec 20, 2022 at 22:38
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We used Trace inverters that would control between solar PV input, bring in generator input, output to the loads we needed and charge the battery bank as needed, or draw from the battery bank if required.

Oh and some of our "generator" input was from hydro ie 3.5kW and we also had wind turbines...

Expensive though but good kit - no affiliation just a happy user...

Link to an example: https://www.unitron.com.br/catalogos/trace-series-inverter-charger

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