Solar farms using photovoltaic (PV) systems to produce clean energy for consumer or industrial use are subject to serious potential damage due to their specific physical makeup. The necessity to cover wide expanses of land without having direct sunlight compromised by surrounding structures makes solar installations vulnerable to lightning strikes. Combine this threat with the physical wear and tear of exposed open spaces caused by wind, rain and other natural events, and there exists a situation where replacement costs must be figured into ongoing operations. It must be assumed that components of the system will be significantly damaged over time and need repair and replacement. While there is little that technology can do to stop wind and rain damage, surges as a result of electrical storms can be prevented effectively with intelligent choices of surge protective devices (SPDs). All SPDs are not created equal, and offer different levels of solar power surge protection.
Lightning is one of the most serious threats to solar farms, posing significant risks of complete destruction of components when subjected to a direct strike, and both immediate and degenerative damage to system circuitry in the event of an indirect strike. Both types of strikes produce an electrical surge many times greater than inverters and circuitry are able to handle without being damaged, and the only protection method that has proven effective against these strikes has been through the installation of SPDs within inverter locations as well as at various strategic points in the power chain. The direct strike point will most likely be destroyed, but everything downstream from that point has the ability to be salvaged if the SPD configuration is adequate.
Raycap Strikesorb technology is a premium grade commercial SPD system that utilizes housings that are far more robust than residential or light industrial devices. Aside from the obvious advantages of a more robust product that can withstand greater levels of short circuit surge without being destroyed itself, an additional advantage to Strikesorb technology is that there is no need reset or replace a module after a surge incident, and Strikesorb can continue functioning even after multiple lightning surges. Storms that produce lightning will rarely involve a single strike, and SPD technology that is destroyed after a single use leaves the system vulnerable for the entire time between strike and resetting or replacement. Strikesorb technology needs no maintenance or replacement, keeping the photovoltaic system online and functional even after a surge incident.
With Strikesorb SPDs installed at inverters and junction boxes, solar farm operators can not employ a higher level of protection against surge related damage or degeneration. Manufactured in both IEC Class I and Class II configurations, Strikesorb products are designed to protect all ranges of low voltage AC and DC power systems. Contact Raycap today to inquire about Strikesorb technology, and the other superior Raycap products that can help keep solar power investments intact.
