arthuritis wrote:
I wish to ground my backyard solar shed, which will have a 130 watt
solar panel, 25 amp charge controller, two 12V-126amp hour deep-cycle
batteries in parallel, 1750 watt inverter, and AC distribution panel.
The system will have a nominal voltage of 12 volts.

First, do all of the metal devices I've mentioned above need to be
grounded separately to a single grounding point, or can a grounding
wire simply "daisy-chain" all the devices, and then terminate in a
single spot? This sounds like a stupid question even to me, but I just
need to know.

Electrical devices can be daisy chained. Electronic systems benefit
from single point grounds.

Second, once a single grounding point is reached, what is the best
diameter of copper grounding wire to use as a grounding conductor from
that point to the grounding electrode in the earth? And, must the
conducting wire be solid, or can it be stranded?

#6, solid or stranded.

Thirdly, is there a requirement for the distance that the grounding
electrode must be away from the shed before I bury it?

No.

Lastly, if I am only able to get the grounding electrode part way into
the earth, say 4 feet, can I put another grounding electrode 4 feet in
the ground some distance from the first one? If so, how far do I need
to separate the two grounding electrodes? Or, am I jst pipe-dreaming?

It's not the length of the rod that's important - it's the conductivity
of the soil. An 8 ft rod is average for average soil. But in some
soils a 4 ft rod may be adequate. Or if the soil is sandy or poor you
may need multiple 8 ft. rods. You are looking for 5 ohms or less
measured with an earth ground tester (not a standard ohm meter!). If
poor ground resistance is encountered, you need multiple rods or treat
the soil around the single rod with rock salt to increase conductivity.

Bob S.