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A team of researchers in Indonesia has introduced a new grounding approach designed to cut lightning-caused overvoltage in photovoltaic installations by choosing the best locations for grounding points and comparing various grounding setups.
The scientists pointed out that prior studies have typically safeguarded solar panels with a Lightning Protection System featuring lightning rods linked to down conductors, including Franklin rods. Their work, by contrast, takes into account the chance of direct lightning hits on solar panels or their supports even when such a protection system exists, a situation where current may travel through the panels toward the grounding point.
To study how PV systems react to lightning strikes in transient terms, the researchers created an equivalent electrical circuit model. The simulated array was made up of ten solar panels, each rated at 200 W, standing in for a portion of a bigger installation. With ATPDraw 7.2 software, the team depicted the electrical properties of PV frames, mounting structures, grounding conductors and electrodes using equivalent resistance, inductance, capacitance and mutual inductance parameters.
Lightning strikes were modeled with a Heidler current source featuring a 50 kA peak amplitude and a 1.2/50 ms impulse waveform. Two configurations were examined: direct grounding via the PV module frames and grounding via the mounting structures. The simulations assessed how soil resistivity, grounding-point location and the number of grounding connections shape transient voltage distribution.
Grounding-point locations were altered to determine how the electrical path between the strike location and the grounding connection affects overvoltage levels. Single- and dual-grounding arrangements were also compared to judge the advantages of extra connections. The model presumed electrically interconnected metallic PV frames and evaluated voltage differences against a reference potential, while leaving out physical damage mechanisms and potential differences involving PV power conductors and inverters.
Findings revealed that increasing soil resistivity from 30 ohm-meters to 3,000 ohm-meters markedly elevated transient voltage levels in both configurations. At lower resistivities, the greatest voltages emerged near the lightning injection point, whereas at 3,000 ohm-meters they moved toward the grounding connection. Grounding via the mounting structures generally yielded lower maximum voltages owing to their lower electrical resistance.
At a fixed soil resistivity of 30 ohm-meters, maximum voltages spanned 1.97 MV to 2.64 MV for frame grounding and 2.14 MV to 2.43 MV for mounting-based grounding, depending on where the connection was placed. In both cases, situating the grounding point nearest to the lightning injection point minimized peak voltages by shortening the current discharge path and reducing its impedance.
Bringing in a second grounding point lowered transient voltages further by 47.5% to 54.8% for frame grounding and by 43.2% to 50.7% for mounting-based grounding. The researchers tied these gains to reduced grounding impedance and more effective dissipation of lightning current. The simulated peak current hit 48.78 kA, which the team said falls within the safety limits of IEEE Std 80, the IEEE Guide for Safety in AC Substation Grounding.
The results suggest that grounding-point location and the number of connections matter more for transient voltage mitigation than whether frame- or mounting-based grounding is chosen. Shorter discharge paths, lower grounding resistance and multiple grounding connections can considerably boost grounding performance.
On the whole, the study stresses the value of strategically placed grounding points, low-resistivity soil conditions and multipoint grounding in curbing lightning-induced overvoltage and raising the reliability of PV installations.
The methodology appeared in a paper titled Study of the selection of an individual grounding location point against direct lightning strikes on solar panel systems, published in Results in Engineering. The research group consisted of scientists from Indonesia’s Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember and Universitas Hasanuddin.
This report provides an in-depth analysis of the Solar Panels market in Indonesia, covering market size, growth trajectory, demand structure, supply capability, trade flows, pricing, competitive landscape, and forecast to 2035.
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The market data is classified and analyzed according to international trade codes, primarily under the Harmonized System (HS) headings for photovoltaic cells and electric generating sets. This ensures consistent tracking of trade flows for assembled solar modules and relevant apparatus across global markets.
Coverage focuses on Indonesia and includes demand, supply capability where present, trade flows, pricing, competition, and outlook.
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