2012 International Conference on Lightning Protection (ICLP), Vienna, Austria

Lightning Protection Practice for Large -Extended

Photovoltaic In stallat ions

Dr. Nikolaos Kokkinos Dr. Nicholas Christofides

Research and Development Department Department of Electrical Engineering.
Elemko SA Frederick University
Athens, Greece Nicosia, Cyprus
nkokkinos@elemko.gr n.christofides@frederick.ac.cy

Dr. Charalambos Charalambous

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
University of Cyprus
Nicosia, Cyprus
cchara@ucy.ac.cy

Abstract- This paper aims to analyse the lightning protection The main objective of this on-going work is to address the
system (LPS) of an isolated large and extended Photovoltaic (PV) issues necessary to form a global framework for the lightning
installation park. The area where the PV plant operates is protection system (LPS) design of isolated large and extended
characterised by the high ground flash density (",25 photovoltaic installations - PV parks. In particular, this paper
thunderstorm days per year) and the extremely high soil describes the preliminary work on LPS system designs with
resistivity value (i.e. pure rock with a resistivity of more than particular emphasis on experimental testing that is performed at
2000Qm). The paper includes the LPS system design after ELEMKO'S H.V laboratory in Greece. This work aims in
experimental testing results, which were performed in the
framing proposals and solutions to overcome challenges and
laboratory. It also includes solutions to some difficult overcoming
problems that may rise during the installation of lightning
problems that were faced during the application of the lightning
protection designs.
protection design.

Keywords-PllOtovoltaic park, Lightning protection system II. SITE SURVEY

I. INTRODUCTION
The particular PV park under study is installed on a
In a country like Greece where the sun is shining for most mountain peak, flat area, occupying a total surface of around
of the year round, the number of photovoltaic (PV) installations I 15,000m . In total it contains 180 DCIAC inverters of I 1kW
has been significantly increasing during the last years. nominal power, operating at 800VDC and 7,300 solar panels of
Nowadays, the interest and investment in large scale PV parks 270Wp nominal power with dimensions of 2m x 1m each. The
in the MWp range is becoming very common. The knowledge PV park is connected to the 21kV medium voltage (MY)
however of a proper lightning protection system (LPS) design distribution system via 8 substations (MVILV). The soil was
and installation, including surge protection, for such large and rocky (>2000nm) and the support structure of the PV panels
extended structure areas (with long cabling loops) is still under was a combination of concrete reinforced bases embedded in
research. This is the reason for the development of the new soil and aluminium supports above soil.
CENELEC document; TS 50539-12: 2009 [1] describing
application principles of surge protection in PV installations.
III. INITIAL LIGHTNING PROTECTION SYSTEM
The investments in such large scale PV parks are considerable
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
and it is merely common sense that investors should choose to
adopt a LPS for their systems. When compared to the income Due to the high resistivity of the soil, which was not
losses incurred due to a failure or damage resulting from a promising for an effective earthing system and in conjunction
lightning strike, not to mention the technical and practical with the high ground flash density of the area, the design of the
difficulties associated with the repairs or component lightning and surge protection was considered of high priority.
replacements, the cost of a LPS system is negligible. It is Due to the extensive area coverage of the PV park, the design
therefore advisable, not to say self-evident, that a LPS is of the external LPS considered both possible cases, the one for
necessary. an isolated application as well as the one for a non-isolated
application design, as per IEC 62305 - 3 [2].

978-1-4673-1897-6/12/$3l . 00 m012 IEEE

 Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 illustrate the 2 cases considered when
designing the LPS. In Fig. 1, for the non-isolated case, the air
terminals for every 2 consecutive rows are connected to one to
one electrode installed between the 2 rows. In this scenario, it
is advised that the distance between the PV frame of each row
and the earth electrode does not exceed 3m. Fig. 2, illustrates
the isolated case, where the air-terminal of each PV row is
connected to a separate electrode directly and not through the
PV framework. Each PV frame is also bonded on the same
earth electrode but with independent bonding conductors.
In addition, the PV park under study was designed utilizing
small I I kW inverters and not central inverters. Therefore, the
DC cable loop was small and there was no need to use Tl +T2
SPDs on the DC side of the inverter even for the non-isolated
LPS case. Fig. 4, illustrates the installation of T2 only type
SPDs on the DC side resulting from the fact that the lightning
loop formation is limited or non-existent.

Figure 3. Acceptable materials for earthing system depending on the type of

foundation used for the PV framework

TABLE 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF MATERIALS DEPICTED IN

Figure 1. Design of Type B earth electrode using non-isolated LPS. The air­ FIG. I
terminals of 2 consecutive PV rows are connected to I electrode which is
installed between them

Copper coated steel, Copper,

into the soil Stainless steel
Note I: Copper conductor may also be tinned
Note 2: Aluminum is not allowed to be used into the soil

Figure 2. Design of Type B earth electrode using isolated LPS. Each isolated
air terminal is connected to a separate electrode directly and not through the
metal PV framework

For the isolated LPS it was necessary to provide an earth

electrode behind each PV row so as to earth the isolated air
terminals directly. For the non-isolated case however, an earth
I I I
electrode for every 2 consecutive PV rows was necessary, I >1Om I I I
I I I
combining the earthing of the air-terminals. I I
1
Iii Ii I�;rj Ii 1iJ.-----ltf:I ti li@ttltlll-----------lctlljllj$rjlJil
Common earthing system
For PV system installations in open fields, in order to
Figure 4. Installation of SPDs for PV application inside a junction box
minimize the cost and at the same time increase the efficiency
situated at a distance>10m from the inverter at the DC & AC side. Only T2
and life time of the earthing system (by avoiding SPDs are needed on the DC side since there is no lightning loop formation.
electrochemical corrosion) it is very important that during the On the AC side however, Tl + T2 type SPDs are required due to the cable
design the type of foundation used for the PV fac;ade loop, which may allow the lightning current to flow in a parallel path to earth
framework is taken into consideration.

In this particular project, the foundation material was

reinforced concrete buried into the soil, therefore copper coated
and solid copper earth electrodes were used. Fig. 3 and Table I ,
depict information about the selection criteria o f the materials
used for the earthing system, depending as mentioned above,
on the type of the foundation used for the PV framework or
structures.
 DC & AC Termination
Inverter Set
kW Meter AC Input
c::::::>
1"·"·"'-

i ==�
==== I �I- �-�Irn==�/r----�
I DC Output

L ___________________ �

Figure 5. DC & AC termination set for optimum protection of the inverter

against surges arriving either from the AC or DC cabling

For the effective protection of the inverters, a combined

protection was developed allowing a combined termination of
all DC & AC cables and at the same time providing protection
from coupled surges. By using such a combined termination
set, the cable lengths are kept to an absolute minimum.
However, such a combination should fulfill certain standards
[3-7] since coexistence of DC and AC at relative high voltages
requires specific isolation distances. Fig. 5, illustrates this
arrangement, where I termination box is used for both DC and
AC cable terminations

IV. EXAMINED CASE STUDIES

Due to the extensive and long cable loops which are formed
by the DC cables, any direct or nearby lightning will cause
high induced surges, Fig. 6. Since screening of the DC cables is Figure 7. PV panels tested in the laboratory and the formation of the DC cable
difficult to provide for in large PV parks, the question that loop ( red +ve and black -ve)
arises is which external LPS provides a more suitable and more
effective protection against over-voltages induced on the
The initial purpose of the test was to investigate which of
cables. A scaled down experiment was performed in the
the following two possible cases would give a lower induced
laboratory in order to obtain measurements and information
voltage across the DC cable loop of the string. In case A the
that would assist in the external LPS design of the 2MWp PV
impulse current was injected directly on the framework of the
park under study. The purpose of the laboratory tests was to
PV panels through an air termination rod, which was supported
evaluate the performance and apply it later on.
on the edge of the PV support framework. In case B the
The scaled down version of the experimental setup in the impulse current was injected directly on the on an isolated air
laboratory was a 2kWp PV system depicted in Fig. 7. The termination rod, which was supported on the laboratory floor at
system consists of 9 PV modules connected in series giving a a distance of approximately 700mm from the PV support
total of 200V output voltage and lOA current. During the framework. The results are summarized in Fig. 8, Fig. 9 and
impulse experiments the laboratory lights were switched off in Fig. 10.
order to have zero volts at the DC cable loop, which was
approximately 18m long.
 Isolated LPS at a distance of 0,7m behind
the steel frame of the PV stnucture. The
lightning current is driven to earth via a
dedicated rod and down conductor. The
metallic structure of the PV is only
connected to the LPS via the earth.
Case B
Non isolated LPS, the lightning current is
distributed along the metallic frame of the
100% • V.
PV stnucture. The metallic structure is
used a natural down conductor.
Figure 8. Examining the behavior of isolated and non isolated LPS in case of a
direct lightning strike and the effect of inducted over-voltages in the DC
cabling of a PV installation
The open circuit voltage across the (+)
and (- ) negative pole of the string was
82V and the injected current was 100kA
(10/350�s).
Figure 9. Experimental results of scaled down experiment examining the
behavior of a non-isolated LPS with respect to the induced over-voltages on
the DC cabling of a PV string
Case B
100% . [t is vital that the LPS provide an effective protection
The open circuit voltage across the (+ )
and (-) pole of the string was 390V and
the injected lightning current 100kA
(10/350�s). It was almost 480% than the
non isolated case. This is due to the
reason that the current was not
distributed but driven 100% through one
path creating a high magnetic field.
Figure 10. Experimental results of scaled down experiment examining the
behavior of an isolated LPS with respect to the induced over-voltages on the
DC cabling of a PV string
The results show that the non-isolated LPS will provide
lower induced over-voltages on the cabling in case of a direct
lightning strike. Additionally, since small inverters were used
(therefore no parallel path for the DC to earth) the need of
Tl+T2 SPDs for the DC was not mandatory. Furthermore, due
to the fact that the earthing system arrangement was a cost
effective solution for the non-isolated case compared with the
isolated LPS case, the investor decided to use a non-isolated
LPS for the particular Photovoltaic park.
CONCLUSIONS
The design of a lightning protection system for large scale PV
systems may depend on various factors and parameters. It is
very important to take into consideration the installation
arrangement and design adopted for large scale PV parks as it
involves crucial parameters that must be taken into
consideration for the effective external and internal LPS
design. There are numerous large scale PV system designs all
of which require a LPS that satisfies the unique, in some
times, conditions present.
The need of an efficient lightning protection system is
mandatory for photovoltaic installations by virtue of its
preventing nature. Primarily, the need is imperative to prevent
any physical damage to structures and life hazards. It is worth
noting that the damage of the electrical and/or electronic
equipment of a PV installation, due to surges originates from
Lightning Electromagnetic Impulse (LEMP) as well as from
Switching Electromagnetic Impulse (SEMP) [8].
However, literature survey reveals that there is still very
little information published regarding the design of lightning
and surge protection for large and extended PV installations.
[n particular, reference [9] comprehensively covers the related
scientific background by emphasizing on the aspects of
standardisation that should be addressed in the near future. As
quoted, the current practice, for protecting PVIs from
lightning surges, rests with adopting (partly) protective
measures described in standards for conventional low-voltage
power distribution systems.
against direct or indirect lightning strikes in order avoid the
destructive effects of lightning. As previously mentioned, the
investment cost is very considerable and [ thunderstorm can
be catastrophic with inestimable financial consequences.
The results presented in this paper propose the most cost
effective and technically correct solution for the LPS design of
the large scale photovoltaic system under study. The need
however, for deeper and more detailed analysis is required so
that amendments are made to the current standard in order to
include guidance and regulations for common large scale PV
installation practices and examples.
 ACKNOW LEDGMENT

The authors wish to thank the engineering team of BIOSAR

SA (GREECE) for their contribution to the photovoltaic park
project.

REFERENCES

[1] TS 50539-12:2009, Protection of PV installation against overvoltages

[2] IEC 62305 - 3:2010, Protection against lightning Part 3: Physical
damage to structures and life hazard
[3] EN 60439-1: Low voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies - Part
1: Type tested and partially type tested assemblies.
[4] EN 60439-3: Low voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies - Part
3: Particular requirements for low voltage switchgear and controlgear
assemblies intended to be installed in places where unskilled persons
have access for their use - Distribution boards
[5] HD 60304-7-712: Electrical installations of buildings - Part 7-712:
Requirements for special installation locations - Solar photovoltaic (PV)
power supply
[6] EN 60664-1: Insulation co-ordination for equipment within low voltage
systems - Part 1: Principles, requirements and tests
[7] EN 62446:2009: Grid connected photovoltaic systems - Minimum
requirements for system documentation, commissioning tests and
inspection.
[8] IEC - 62305 " Protection against Lightning"
[9] Jesus C. Hernandez, Pedro G. Vidal, Francisco Jurado, " Lightning and
Surge Protection in Photovoltaic Installations", IEEE Transcactions on
Power Delivery, Vol. 23, No 4. Oct. 2008 pp. 1961-1971.