Solar Panels And Lightning Protection

The pros and cons of.

Solar panels and lightning protection.

Solar panel extended warranty. A lot of lightning protection work is buried and out of sight. 2 2 2 lightning protection equipment as the pv system had to be integrated into the existing lightning protection equipment a calculated separation distance of 1m had to be maintained from the parapet as well as the roof lights with their metal frame and the air termination system meshed conductors. Since the metal panel frames and racking of the solar array are located on the roof the egc will direct a strike to the solar array to ground and may reduce additional damage to the building.

The frames and mounts on panels are usually grounded sometimes more by accident than design and that often diverts the lightning directly to ground saving the panels. No matter what surge protection you employ protection from lighting is not guaranteed. Protecting the power plant area from lightning related damage protecting the modules inverters and monitoring systems from the effects of electromagnetic impulses. If you want lightning protection ask your installer to quote it as an extra.

To help ensure that it gets done correctly write it into your contract s with your system installer electrician excavator plumber well driller or anyone who is doing earthwork that will contain your grounding system. Solar panels are especially prone to lightning strikes due to their large surface area and placement in exposed locations such as on rooftops or ground mounted in open spaces. Solar needs surge protection. However there is no guarantee of this it is important to note that the egc is not intended to take the place of a dedicated lightning protection.

Obviously if you install a lightning rod on your roof you need to avoid shading the solar panels with it. Solar arrays are also electronic devices and so are subject to the same potential for damage from surges. Raycap is a leading producer of surge protection devices for photovoltaic pv systems that are used in both industrial power production as well as residential or semi commercial markets. Lightning and surge protection for solar panels.

Also the battery banks on most off grid pv systems act as a fairly good surge arrestor if you have good connections and a good ground but it may take out the controller on. Lightning strikes whether direct or indirect can result in both down time and expenses in identifying and replacing damaged parts.