Many people think about installing solar panels as a primary or additional source of energy. Those who have already installed mini-helio stations have found out that even in America, the modules are capable of absorbing enough light to operate the entire home energy system.
Most of the stations are installed on the roof or other open elevated areas, which means that the probability of lightning striking them is relatively high. Since this equipment is quite expensive, think carefully about and install such lightning protection in advance.
How to provide external protection for your home?
Most batteries are located on the roof, first of all, take care of installing lightning protection. It consists of three elements: receivers that take a direct hit, a grounding device that promotes spreading in the ground, and down conductors that provide communication between the first two elements. The main task is to protect the panels from direct hits, which can lead to damage and fire in part of the building. For proper installation, calculate the protection zone. Metal rods for receiving lightning should be installed at a distance of at least 0.5 m from the place where the photo modules are installed.
In cases where it is not possible to comply with the recommendations. The external lightning protection system and the frame are directly connected. All these measures are necessary to prevent equalizing currents from flowing through the structure of the photovoltaic modules. The electrical connection is made only on one side, as close as possible to the down conductors.
How to protect your home from surge voltage (using panels with a capacity of up to 10 kW as an example)?
How do they penetrate? There are two main ways: alternating current (from the inverter to the distribution board) and direct current. There are several classes, each of which will work optimally in its area. If you have observed the minimum permissible distances between lightning rods and the system, then it is advisable to use the second. If the minimum distances are not observed, use the first.
In any photovoltaic system, the most valuable are the controller and inverter. They are also the most vulnerable in the entire solar station. First of all, they must be protected from overvoltage. So, you buy the number of panels you need. Immediately look at the technical characteristics contained in the passports. There you will find Uoc (open circuit voltage). Then you should calculate the sum of Uoc of all if you install several. This data is necessary for selecting a device whose nominal voltage should be 20% greater than the resulting sum of each.
SPDs are always installed either before the controller or before the inverter when it also performs the functions of a controller. Today, you can buy different types of 48V, 65V, 100V, 600V, even 1000V.
AC network. For this, a surge protector should be installed at the inverter output. Engineers recommend class 2.
It is important to consider the fact that the surge voltage can also come from the power supply side. What is the solution here? In this case, experts recommend installing a combined type SPD in the main shield. Do not forget to also consider how you have grounded the protective semiconductor.
Conclusion.
In our article, we have described only general cases and approaches to the selection of lightning and surge protection. Owners often install power sources (diesel generators, wind power plants, etc.), connect elements according to an electrical circuit. Use low-current measuring equipment and indicator boards, and therefore need an individual selection solution. One thing is clear: properly installed equipment will extend the service life of your home solar station and provide full protection from any weather anomalies.
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