Lightning protection of PV systems

Abstract

The lightning protection of photovoltaic installations is of great importance, in order to warrant the uninterrupted operation of the system and avoid faults and damages of the equipment. Atmospheric discharges influence the proper operation of the photovoltaic generators and their installation, involving also sensitive electronic equipment. The determination of the need for lightning protection and the evaluation of the performance of a risk management analysis are the first steps, in order to adopt the appropriate protective measures against lightning. Scope of the current work is to summarize the basic lightning protection techniques, taking into consideration the Standards, the international literature and the common practice. The risk management, the external and internal lightning protection system, the selection of the characteristics of the equipment and the grounding system are discussed in the current paper.