Path-Q Solar
How should a battery system be designed when critical loads are located in different buildings?
Answer
Treat each building as part of a coordinated distribution design rather than assuming one battery connection will serve all locations. The design must determine where backup equipment is installed, how buildings are interconnected, which loads are prioritized, and whether the interbuilding wiring can safely carry the required power.
Key points
- Critical loads may require separate backup panels or distribution equipment at each building.
- Cable distance creates voltage-drop, conductor-sizing, protection, trenching, and installation considerations.
- The system must define whether buildings operate as one backup network or as separately controlled loads.
- Backup capacity should be based on coincident demand and starting surges across the buildings.
What it depends on
- Building locations and distances
- Existing feeders and grounding arrangements
- Critical loads at each building
- Inverter output and control architecture
- Whether backup generation or solar is available at one or multiple buildings
Risks and trade-offs
- Long or buried interbuilding feeders can materially increase cost and maintenance complexity.
- Different grounding, switching, or protection arrangements can create safety and reliability problems.
- Serving all buildings during an outage may require substantially more inverter surge capacity than serving one building.
Information you may need
- A site plan showing buildings, panels, and feeder routes
- Critical-load inventory for each building
- Existing feeder sizes and service configuration
- Desired operating priority and outage duration
Your next step
What to do next
Request a site-specific electrical design that shows each building's backup panel, interbuilding feeder, protection, and load-priority strategy.
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