Description
Morningstar 600 Volt Ground Fault Protection Device
Morningstar 600V Ground Fault Protection Device
Morningstar’s Ground Fault Protection Device (GFPD) is an innovation for ground fault detection and interruption for the photovoltaic (PV) industry. It has greater sensitivity and better isolation while maintaining the bond to earth ground. Ground fault protection is used in electrical systems to prevent current from following any unintended paths during a ground fault. Morningstar’s GFPD has been designed to meet the ground fault protection requirements of the US National Electric Code (NEC) for grounded PV systems.
How it Works: A GFPD needs to detect any stray current and interrupt (break) the circuit until safe operation can be restored. A current imbalance between the primary positive and negative PV conductors entering the controller or inverter may indicate a ground fault condition. Morningstar’s GFPD will detect this condition and break the circuit on both the positive and negative legs. Disconnecting both poles ensures interruption of the ground fault current.
Other ground fault detection/interruption products break the bond to the grounded conductor. When this occurs, not only is the earth bond compromised, but the battery and DC loads can also be left ungrounded and floating. For a negatively grounded system this means that the negative side of the battery and loads can float to negative Voc in relation to ground. Morningstar’s GFPD better isolates the array from the battery and loads, while maintaining the bond to ground.
GFPD-600V Specifications
- Max solar voltage (Voc): 600 Volts DC
- Max solar current: 50 Amps
- Supply voltage range: 10 – 72 VDC
- Self-consumption: <0.5W
- Ground fault threshold current: 300 mA +/- 10%
- Number of poles: 2
- Nominal system voltage: 12, 24, 36, and 48 Volts DC
- Dimensions: 14.1″ x 8.7″ x 4.2″
- Weight: 8.9 pounds
- Max wire size: #6 AWG
Certifications
- CE, RoHS and REACH Compliant
- UL 1741 and CSA C22.2 No. 107.1-01 Listed
- GFPD-150V is UL-489 Listed
- GFPD-600V is UL-1077 Listed
- Meets EMC Directives (Immunity, Emissions and Safety)
- FCC Class B Part 15 Compliant U.S.
- National Electrical Code (NEC) 690.5 Compliant for use as a GFPD device
- Manufactured in a Certified ISO 9001 Facility
Morningstar’s Ground Fault Protection Device (GFPD-600V) increases safety and design flexibility in off-grid and on-grid photovoltaic (PV) systems. Ground fault protection is used in electrical systems to prevent current from following any unintended paths during a ground fault. It is critical to detect any stray current and to interrupt (break) the circuit until safe operation can be restored. A current imbalance between the conductors of a circuit indicates a ground fault. Morningstar’s GFPD will detect this condition and break the circuit on both the positive and negative legs. Disconnecting both poles ensures interruption of the ground fault current.
- Breaks the PV array during a fault condition.
- Leaves the battery and DC loads grounded under all conditions.
- Eliminates the danger of an ungrounded battery and therefore requires no special labeling at the battery location.
- Audible and visual indications.
- Precision current measurement, not fuses.
- Push-button test circuit.
The GFPD enables system design flexibility. Morningstar designed the GFPD to be easily paired with their world-leading TriStar MPPT Charge Controller during on-site installation. Additionally, the GFPD will work just as well in systems with mixed vendor components.
Morningstar’s GFPD is a superior solution to ground fault protection. With its custom molded equipment ground terminals, installation and troubleshooting are simplified. Furthermore, the GFPD breaks the entire PV array circuit during a fault condition and requires no special labeling on the battery enclosure.
Compared to Other GFP Solutions, the GFPD…
- Maintains the integrity of earth bond for battery and loads.
- Trips at lower fault current with greater accuracy.
- Breaks both conductors in the faulted circuit and completely isolates PV source circuits.
- Does not require an extra warning label at the battery bank as per U.S. National Electric Code requirements.
- Provides design flexibility to meet a wide range of configurations:
- Positive and negative ground.
- Large and small arrays.
- Makes it easier to locate and troubleshoot ground faults.
- Powered via the PV system’s battery bank.
- Equipped with both visual and audible alarms.
- Built to support both single controller and multiple controllers systems:
- When the earth bond is not broken, Morningstar’s GFPD will only shut off affected controllers.
- All loads will continue to operate safely with the battery remaining bonded to ground.
- Multiple controllers and GFPD’s can be added on an as-needed basis.
Morningstar’s Ground Fault Protection Device (GFPD) is an innovation for ground fault detection and interruption for the photovoltaic (PV) industry. It has greater sensitivity and better isolation while maintaining the bond to earth ground. Ground fault protection is used in electrical systems to prevent current from following any unintended paths during a ground fault. Morningstar’s GFPD has been designed to meet the ground fault protection requirements of the US National Electric Code (NEC) for grounded PV systems. How it Works: A GFPD needs to detect any stray current and interrupt (break) the circuit until safe operation can be restored. A current imbalance between the primary positive and negative PV conductors entering the controller or inverter may indicate a ground fault condition. Morningstar’s GFPD will detect this condition and break the circuit on both the positive and negative legs. Disconnecting both poles ensures interruption of the ground fault current. Other ground fault detection/interruption products break the bond to the grounded conductor. When this occurs, not only is the earth bond compromised, but the battery and DC loads can also be left ungrounded and floating. For a negatively grounded system this means that the negative side of the battery and loads can float to negative Voc in relation to ground. Morningstar’s GFPD better isolates the array from the battery and loads, while maintaining the bond to ground.
