Remove the bonding bar and reinstall the green screw on the left buss bar at the top. That will be the landing place for grounds, while the neutrals will be on the right bar. Just the opposite of what you have, now. The grounding lug at top of the left bar will be fine for your #6 ground to the two grounding rods set at least 6' apart.

 

That is not a ground bar. That is a neutral bar. A ground bar has to be added. It will fasten to the back of the panel. Most panels have mounting points where the ground bar attaches but I don't see them on this panel.

 

It looks to me like the neutral is the bond , if I was using that for a sub panel , I’d add a single lug to the metal frame near the top in the mains section, leave your bond screw out then add separate bond terminal strips to the frame below the mains along each side and use those for your bond (ground) wires and the 2 sides tide together for your neutrals.

 

I didn't see any attachment points for a grounding buss, thus the answer. Plus the number of wire spaces is double what is available for breakers.

 

Two tapped holes look like they are on the right side, in the shadow. The upper hole is to the right of the two top handles of the main breaker, while the lower hole is to the right of the lowest set screw in the neutral bar. You have to zoom in quite a bit to see them.

 

The bar is removable and is allowed per the mfg. Nothing wrong with making one of the bars the EGC (ground) bar as long as it gets bonded to the can.

Just for clarification, as Joed mentioned, the bars are not ground bars, they are neutral bars. But one can be made a ground on some panels. A lot of people think one side is ground and one is neutral, that is not correct.
This particular panel is for the main service where the grounds can be on with the neutrals. That's why there are no holes for a ground bar.

Also, you can drill and tap your own holes if you need to add a ground bar.

 

A lot of people think one side is ground and one is neutral, that is not correct.

It's just easier to use the lug on the right for the service entrance and the smaller lug on top of the left one for the #6 ground wire. I do believe the provision for the green screw is on either one, though.

 

I also do not see where a ground bar can be attached to the panel.
It does state what ground bar kits can be used though but I don't see any pre-drilled holes to mount the ground bar in the picture. If you decide to use the ground bar kit and there are no pre-drilled holes in the panel to mount the ground bar-if you drill holes for the ground bar kit you must tap the holes and use machine screws supplied with the ground bar kit to mount the ground bar to the panel. If you go this route then ignore removing cross bar and use both bars on left and right as neutral bars. If you do use the ground bar kit then DO NOT insert a ground screw on the left bar top. You need to keep the neutral separate from the ground in a sub panel.

If you are not using a ground bar kit:
As suggested: Remove the cross bar connecting the two bars.
Use the left bar as your ground bar and the right as your neutral

Land your incoming neutral to the top lug on the right neutral bar.
Land your incoming ground to the top lug on the left ground bar.
Insert the ground screw at the top of the left ground bar

Land all of your neutrals on the right neutral bar
Land all of your grounds on the left ground bar.

Even thought the bar on the left has plastic feet it will still be bonded to the panel by the ground screw at the top of the ground bar.

Only one neutral wire to any hole on the neutral bar.

 

The bonding screw goes at the bottom of the buss, not the top.

 

Oups - my bad. I saw the hole on the top left bar and thought it went there.

Just had cataract surgery so working with one eye now.

 

I have removed the "bonding bar" and installed all my feeders/breakers and I'm ready to power everything on, but there's one thing I'm unclear about. Normally on a sub-panel you would not install the green bonding screw, but it has been suggested here that I SHOULD install the green bonding screw. Can anyone help me understand why I would do this since this is a sub-panel?

Please see the image below:

 

Your left bar is not bonded to the panel so the panel is floating. The green screw will connect bond the panel to your grounding conductor.

 

The green screw is to bond the ground bar to the cabinet/box housing. If you don't, and you had a hot wire touch the cabinet, the breaker would not trip and the cabinet would be energized.

It's true you don't normally use the green screw in a subpanel, but in this case you are using one of the neutral bars as a ground. The ground always has to be bonded to the cabinet. On a subpanel, the ground bar is mounted directly to the cabinet, in your case the bar is mounted on isolators and is not in contact with the cabinet.

 

Ok that makes a lot of sense. Thank you both for your quick responses. So this is the correct (safe) configuration then with the bonding screw installed in the bottom left corner, right?

 

with the bonding screw installed in the bottom left corner, right?

No left!

Looks good!

 

all that to save $8 on an accessory ground bar.

The problem is, this is a 20-space 40-circuit panel. They only give you 20 neutral spots per side. If you get anywhere near populating it fully, you will run out of neutral spaces. They cannot be doubled up, every neutral wire must be alone.

 

In reference to your bonding screw question towards the end of the post. That screw is meant to bond the neutral bars to the panel itself. The metal bar is only meant to provide continuity between the neutral bars. With the bonding screw in the panel, you would be bonding your grounds and neutrals again if you place a ground bar in the back of the panel to provide the separation necessary for a sub-panel. Easiest solution would be to go get a Sq D 20 space ground bar and cut new threads in the back of the box to land your new ground bar on. Remove the green bonding screw, land neutrals on the floating factory installed bars and land grounds on the new ground bar that you installed.

 

An old thread but you are wrong. In that GE panel both bars are insulated from the panel. The bar on the lower side ties the 2 bars together. To use as a sub panel without adding a supplemental ground bar, you remove the bar connecting the 2 bars and install the green grounding screw in the one that becomes the ground bar.

 

I hope this was resolved a year ago.