Effect of Lightning on Photovoltaic Modules and Mitigation Strategies

The report discussed about the PV module which is the assembly of the photovoltaic or PV or solar cells. This has been treated as a vital element of PV systems converting sunlight to DC. On the other hand, lightning leads to failures in the PV and wind-electric systems. This occurs from lightening and strikes huge distances from any system or between the clouds. As a result of this, concerns are rising regarding the afflicting of lightening on the different PV modules. Those modules and its nearby components get damaged due to this. The study analyzes the effect of lightning on the various solar panels along with proposing ways to mitigate the lightning effects.

Running head: PHOTOVOLTAIC MODELS
Photovoltaic Models
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author Note

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Executive summary
The report discussed about the PV module which is the assembly of the photovoltaic or PV or solar
cells. This has been treated as a vital element of PV systems converting sunlight to DC. On the other
hand, lightning leads to failures in the PV and wind-electric systems. This occurs from lightening
and strikes huge distances from any system or between the clouds. As a result of this, concerns are
rising regarding the afflicting of lightening on the different PV modules. Those modules and its
nearby components get damaged due to this. The study analyzes the effect of lightning on the
various solar panels along with proposing ways to mitigate the lightning effects.

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Table of Contents
Answer to question number 1:...............................................................................................................3
Solving the given problem:................................................................................................................3
The battery information:....................................................................................................................4
Answer to question number 2:...............................................................................................................5
1. Introduction:..................................................................................................................................5
2. The lightning strike on the PV modules:.......................................................................................5
3. Impact of lightning on the solar panels:........................................................................................5
3. Mitigating the lightning effects:....................................................................................................6
4. Conclusion:....................................................................................................................................8
References:............................................................................................................................................9

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Answer to question number 1:
Solving the given problem:
Given data from the solution:
The voltage in the OV systems = 12 V
Power of the LED= 8 of 10 W
Required to find:
 Number of batteries
 Ah for the 7 days of autonomy
Calculation:
Load = 10 Watts
Required Backup time for batteries = 12 hrs per day = 0.5 days
Now the required Back up Time of batteries in Hours = 0.5 days
Now for One Battery:
8Wh / 10 W = 8/10 hrs
Therefore, 0.5/ (8/10) = 5/10*(10/8)= 0.8
Answer: Therefore for 7 days, number of batteries needed= 0.8*7= 5.6 or 6 batteries
Further for determining the Ah or battery capacity,
Battery Capacity (Ah) = Total Watt-hours per day used by appliances x Days of autonomy (0.85 x
0.6 x nominal battery voltage
8 Wh*6 batteries = 48 Wh
Answer: 48 Wh/ 10 W= 4.8 hours
The battery information:

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The batteries have been accumulating the additional energy developed by the PV system.
They have been stored to be used at night or the time when no energy input takes place. They are
able to discharge rapidly and yielding more current. This is more than the charging source has been
producing by them. Hence the motors could be run intermittently. In the given scenario, the PV
system has encompassed a 12 V battery system. This also included a MPPT charge or discharge
controller. Further it also comprised of 8 of 10 LED.
The rating has been designed for comparing various batteries to the similar standard. This is
not been taken as the performance guarantee. These batteries are the electromagnetic devices that are
sensitive to the charge/discharge cycle history, climate, and temperature. The battery’s performance
has been relying in the usage patterns, locations and climate. In the given scenario, the battery is
removed for every 12 hours.

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Answer to question number 2:
1. Introduction:
The PV module is the assembly of the photovoltaic or PV or solar cells. It is an important
component of PV systems converting sunlight to DC. Lightning, on the other hand, is a common
reason for the failures in the PV and wind-electric systems.
This harmful surge takes place from lightening. Thus there have been various rising concerns
regarding the afflicting of lightening on the PV modules. This damages those modules and its nearby
components.
The following study demonstrates the effect of this lightning on the solar panels. A
suggestion is made regarding the mitigation of the lightning effects.
2. The lightning strike on the PV modules:
The photovoltaic systems have been inherently exposed to different direct and indirect
lighting effects. The deploying of the solar cell arrays for the high capacity systems needs a high
sector with the commensurate exposing towards the direct lightning strikes. This takes place at the
local yearly rate of different ground strikes per unit area (Yang et al.). The existence of the ground
grid related to the PV system has been an isolated sector acting as the collector of the ground-current
of lightning from the nearest strikes. Regarding the PV systems getting tied to local power grids, the
exposures also incorporate the surges originating from a power grid and possible differences in the
ground potential of AC and DC power systems (Yang et al.).
For the current development stages of PV systems, the happenings of those lightning strikes
are rare. Hence the experience of the field is still restricted. Thus justifiable concerns are there
nevertheless. This is both from the financial perspective of the harms verses expenses of protection.
This is the less tangible effect on the view-point of reliability for this technology which is still in its
initial phases of commercial usages.

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3. Impact of lightning on the solar panels:
Maximum of the electronic and electrical harms in the on off-grid and grid-tie solar electric
systems have been not because of the direct hitting. This, in fact, is rare. Maximum of this takes
place from the nearest hits, mainly under a hundred feet. The nearby strike induces numerous volts
on to PV array wiring as this not gets adequately protected (Guo et al.). This could spread out on the
ground hit and travel to the buried conductors like the buried cables and pipes. As contrary to the
popular beliefs, the panels have been not the most significant victim. These are the controllers and
inverters who get victimized. The mounts and frames on the boards are grounded. This has been
many times more due to accident than design. This diverts the lightning to the directly. Thus the
solar panels are saved. Moreover, the battery banks on maximum off-grid systems of PV have been
acting as the reasonably efficient surge arrestor (Christodoulou et al.). However, this can take out the
controller on their way. As the battery bank is never grounded, the harm is much more severe. This
might then leap across all the areas seeking to determine the path towards the ground.
The objects could be struck directly, and the impact results in the burning, explosion and
complete destruction. Besides this, the harm might be not direct as the current passes by or near that.
At many times, the current enters the buildings and then transfer via wires or plumbing (Hernandez
et al.). This might also harm all the things in their path. In the same way in the urban sectors, this
strikes the tree or poles. Then the current passes to various nearing houses and the additional
structures. It enters via plumbing and wiring. In multiple cases, the lightning strikes the ground and
travel up the buried power line regarding hundreds of yards.
3. Mitigating the lightning effects:
The various processes to reduce the impacts are discussed below.
The
processes
Discussion
Proper
grounding
The codes for the protection of lightning might not be sufficient for the off-
grid installations. The recommended practices make that more dangerous. The
geometric abstractions ate existing to be factual instead of being providing
statistical levels of protection. Various steps are to be followed for the PV systems.
The different legal codes are concerned with the electrical safety and not the
lightning protection. Thus the two of them are not always compatible (Naxakis,

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Perraki and Pyrgioti). Regarding the lightning protection, one needs to undertake
the steps beyond the minimum requirements of the codes.
The
grounding
and the
National
Electrical
Code or NEC
requirements
The NEC needs all the exposed metal surfaces to be grounded without
caring the nominal system voltages. The systems with the PV open-circuit voltages
below the 50 volts have been not needed to possess one of the current-carrying
conductors to be grounded. Systems with the AC voltages at about hundred volts
should be grounded neutrally. The NEC perquisites could be extended. Any
separate conductor could be fastened to every metallic frame of modules with the
grounding lug or the other approved processes. The other end of the conductors
must be connected one point in the array frame with the other self-threading, a crew
of stainless-steel (Funabashi, Toshihisa and Shozo Sekioka). In the dry sectors,
various ground rods are placed 20 to 50 feet apart in the radial configurations.
These are all bonded to the core rod that could be effective. The perfect ground
cannot be achieved till one gets prepared to spend the megabucks on the copper
cables buried.
Use of surge
arrestors
They have been acting like the clamps in most of the cases. These arrestors
are found to move around the live wires along with another wire running across the
ground. They are found to be stuck there.
However, if the voltages move above any particular level, they begin to
conduct and short the higher voltage to the ground. In the arrestor, however, acting
highly fast, this catches those large voltage spikes in the AC line that has been very
quick for the surge arrestor (Kowalenko). One must have the DC surge for most of
the systems to be under the best protection. This must be as near the charge
controller as possible. At the side of the AC, one must have both the AC surge
arrestor and the surge capacitor.
Risk analysis
and lightning
protection
system
The risk level could be ascertained through comparing various probabilities
of the direct strike of lightning to different solar farm. This is referred to as the
isokeraunic level and the risk parameter of the facility. The risk related to the
decrease of power production or continuity of service after human safety is the

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initial concern to find out the necessities for the efficient system of lightning
protection.
4. Conclusion:
The report shows that the organizations insuring solar projects have been increasingly
interested in lightning protection. This is especially in the sectors where there is a high probability of
the lightning. The study discussed that lightning is a major reason behind the catastrophic failures in
the PV systems. The primary elements included in protecting the PV systems are an installation of
the surge protective devices and appropriate grounding. Apart from this, the surge protection devices
supply the potential of the flow diversion of electricity prior the equipment gets damages through the
rising voltage. This could be positioned strategically to deliver a redundancy which is important.

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References:
Ahmad, N. I., et al. "Lightning protection on photovoltaic systems: A review on current and
recommended practices." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (2017).
Ahmadi, N., et al. "Frequency-dependent modeling of grounding system in EMTP for lightning
transient studies of grid-connected PV systems." Renewable Energy Research and Applications
(ICRERA), 2015 International Conference on. IEEE, 2015.
Bushong, Steven. "Three Steps To Protect A Solar Farm From Lightning Strikes." Solar Power
World, 2017, https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2016/08/three-steps-protect-solar-farm-
lightning-strikes/.
Charalambous, Charalambos A., et al. "A simulation tool to assess the lightning induced over-
voltages on dc cables of photovoltaic installations." Lightning Protection (ICLP), 2014 International
Conference o. IEEE, 2014.
Charalambous, Charalambos A., Nikolaos D. Kokkinos, and Nikolas Christofides. "External
lightning protection and grounding in large-scale photovoltaic applications." IEEE Transactions on
Electromagnetic Compatibility 56.2 (2014): 427-434.
Christodoulou, C. A., et al. "Lightning performance study for photovoltaic systems." 19th
International Symposium on High Voltage Engineering. Pilsen. Czech Republic. 2015.
Christodoulou, C. A., et al. "Protection of 100kWp photovoltaic system against atmospheric
overvoltages: A case study." High Voltage Engineering and Application (ICHVE), 2016 IEEE
International Conference on. IEEE, 2016.
Funabashi, Toshihisa, and Shozo Sekioka. "Smart grid in Japan associated with lightning protection
of renewable energies." Lightning Protection (ICLP), 2016 33rd International Conference on. IEEE,
2016.
Guo, Fu Yan, Yue Wang, and Min De Huang. "Fault Tree Establishment of Lightning Protection
System Safety of Solar Photovoltaic Building." Advanced Materials Research. Vol. 860. Trans Tech
Publications, 2014.

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Hernandez, Y. Mendez, et al. "An experimental approach of the transient effects of lightning
currents on the overvoltage protection system in MW-class photovoltaic plants." Lightning
Protection (ICLP), 2014 International Conference o. IEEE, 2014.
Jiang, Taosha, and Stanislaw Grzybowski. "Electrical degradation of Photovoltaic modules caused
by lightning induced voltage." Electrical Insulation Conference (EIC), 2014. IEEE, 2014.
Kowalenko, K. "Illuminating the Dangers of Lightning Strikes: Protection is key to preventing
damage." (2015).
Mohammed, Zmnako, Hashim Hizam, and Chandima Gomes. "Lightning Strike Impacts on Hybrid
Photovoltaic-Wind System." Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science 8.1
(2017).
Naxakis, I., V. Perraki, and E. Pyrgioti. "Influence of lightning strikes on photovoltaic modules
properties." 32nd EU PVSEC, Munich, Germany (2016): 2277-2280.
Pretorius, Pieter H. "On ground potential rise presented by small and large earth electrodes under
lightning conditions." AFRICON, 2017 IEEE. IEEE, 2017.
Tu, Youping, et al. "Research on lightning overvoltages of solar arrays in a rooftop photovoltaic
power system." Electric Power Systems Research 94 (2013): 10-15.
Yang, Chengshan, Yongxiang Cai, and Xiaoyan Liu. "Test method of lightning protection in solar
photovoltaic system." Nanjing Xinxi Gongcheng Daxue Xuebao 7.6 (2015): 551.
YANG, Lei, et al. "Analysis on lightning disasters of solar photovoltaic power genera-tion system
and prevention scheme." High Voltage Apparatus 51.6 (2015): 62-67.
YANG, Lei, et al. "Research on the lightning disaster and lightning warning measures of building
integrated photovoltaic." Insulators and Surge Arresters 246.2 (2014): 94-99.
Zaini, N. H., et al. "On the effect of lightning on a solar photovoltaic system." Lightning Protection
(ICLP), 2016 33rd International Conference on. IEEE, 2016.

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