Lightning protection for monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic panels

Do PV systems need a lightning protection system?

The necessities of lightning protection on the PV systems and its barrier, the need for different lightning protection system on PV systems as well as its recommended practices are also discussed in this paper.

Does a lightning protection system work on a grid-connected photovoltaic park?

In this paper, the performance of a lightning protection system (LPS) on a grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) park is studied by simulating different scenarios with the use of an appropriate software tool.

Are PV systems vulnerable to lightning?

Similar to other power systems [ , , , , ], PV systems are vulnerable to lightning because they are always installed in unsheltered open areas. Recent studies on lightning protection of PV systems have drawn much attentions [ 9 ].

How to protect a PV system from lightning discharges?

In case that a PV installation is protected against lightning discharges by an external LPS, the above distance s between the PV equipment and the parts of the LPS should be respected, in order to avoid sharing of discharge currents through the metallic components of the PV system.

Can a grid-connected PV plant provide lightning performance?

One grid-connected, ground-installed PV plant of 100 kWp nominal power was selected as the case study for the lightning performance investigation. This is a typical small PV application that is found across Europe . Such a PV system is usually connected into the low-voltage distribution system.

Does lightning protection work on solar panels?

Research, as described in a recent review on the performance of lightning protection on photovoltaic systems (roof mounted or solar farms) has just started due to high penetration on the power distribution grids . In , the impact of a standard impulse lightning strike on the performance of single PV modules is evaluated.