Surge Protection For PV Systems

Read More: Raycap-Solar-Brochure-G02-01-149.pdf

 

Photovoltaic systems that produce electricity for public consumption rely upon solar panels that are positioned in a way that they are not compromised by shade. The entire job of a solar panel is to collect as much sunlight as possible in order to utilize that fuel source to expand liquid within a sealed system. That expanding liquid flows through tubes and eventually creates motion within a turbine that generates electricity. Only through the harnessing of as much of that sunlight as possible does the system work to its fullest capacity, and produce as much electricity as possible using that free fuel source. Any shade or night-time situation where the sun is not fully present compromises the output of electricity for that panel, and as a result of this fact solar producers must place the panels into harm’s way in order to gain the maximum. The harm that is being produced is the potential for being struck by lightning as the panels are positioned in a way that makes them the most opportune strike point during a storm. Lightning takes the path of least resistance to the ground, generally striking the tallest structure within a range of where the lightning bolt originates. If that panel is the most opportune target, then it gets struck. This will almost always result in the need for repair or replacement of the panel, but also results in damage to the control equipment that is directly connected to it. This is due to another issue, that the computerized equipment necessary to the process also must be connected to the exposed panel through direct lines that can conduct electricity. These control wires and cables allow a power surge to move along them and impact the equipment that is nowhere near the strike point, generating far more damage that simply the place where the lighting struck. In order to fully restore the functionality of the system, all of these items must be repaired or replaced, losing critical moments that the sun is shining and the system could be producing. In the competitive world of power manufacture, solar systems need to operate at full capacity in order to come close to the productivity and cost basis of fossil fuel systems, and until they are monetarily comparable it is going to be difficult to imagine a world powered exclusively by renewable energy.

 

One major development in the solar world is the integration of surge protection throughout the systems along pathways that electrical surges can travel. This reduces or completely eliminates the secondary damage that adds to production costs, as well as making system restoration easier and less time consuming after the inevitable strikes happen. This integration allows systems to function far closer to their intended capacities for longer periods of time between maintenance, and this brings the total amounts of electricity produced far closer to the fossil fuel standards. Combined with the reduced operational costs, we have a potential in the future for more reliable as well as less expensive power for the entire world.