Quick Answer
Investing in lightning protection for your solar array is crucial to safeguarding your investment against damage from lightning strikes, which can cause power outages, equipment failure, and even fires.
Understanding the Risk of Lightning Strikes
Lightning strikes can occur on solar arrays, causing significant damage to the equipment, wiring, and electrical components. According to the National Lightning Safety Institute, the average annual number of lightning-related power outages in the United States is over 500,000. A single lightning strike can cause up to $100,000 in damages.
Implementing Effective Lightning Protection
To mitigate the risk of lightning strikes, it’s essential to implement effective lightning protection systems (LPS). This includes installing air terminals or lightning rods on the highest points of the solar array, connecting them to the grounding system, and ensuring that the grounding system is designed to provide a safe path for the lightning strike to follow. The National Fire Protection Association recommends a minimum of 10 feet of grounding electrode spacing for solar arrays.
Designing a Reliable Grounding System
A reliable grounding system is critical to effective lightning protection. This includes using a minimum of 8 feet of 6 AWG copper grounding wire and ensuring that the grounding system is bonded to the solar array’s metal components. The grounding system should also be designed to handle the maximum expected lightning strike current, which can be up to 200 kiloamperes. It’s also essential to consider the local soil resistivity and adjust the grounding system design accordingly.
Find more answers
Browse the full Q&A library by topic, or jump back to the topic this question belongs to.