The Integration Of Surge Protection Into Photovoltaic Systems

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The development of solar power and other green energy production techniques over the past few decades has been slower than one would expect. This is due to a push back from the companies that produce power using the traditional fossil fuel methods, generally relying upon the burning of a fuel source in order to produce the same product that the new methods do. This push back is not as a result of a desire to evolve and find alternative sources of energy in case of emergency, but instead is due to the potential lost revenues that these companies would sustain if their methods were phased out. There is also the threat of losses as a result of the population having the potential to more effectively generate their own power, ultimately removing paying customers from the system as it stands. The desire to keep the current systems in place at all costs in order to protect revenues has caused a slowing of development of new innovations and techniques within the green energy sector, as the combined potential monetary investments into technology by governmental sectors is lacking. As a result, the majority of innovations within the green energy sector come from private entities.

The desire to create more efficient methods of power production is both a money and a production discussion. Innovation within the sector will produce more power using those systems, providing the more reliable ability to fully satisfy customer needs using those systems alone. As the efficiency of the green energy systems improves, we as consumers can rely more heavily on the amounts of power produced to not run out for us during heavy-use times. Additionally, technological innovation will make these methods cheaper, producing the same units of power for less cost than the traditional methods. Fossil-fuel producers realize this is the death knell of their industry, and are doing everything they can to stop its progress. One example of how technology can intervene to make green energy a more viable source than fossil fuel energy is through the integration of surge protection devices into the photovoltaic systems, as well as other forms of production. Green energy production methods all rely upon an “end unit” in the form of exposed machinery or devices. These devices in the form of solar panels and windmills are positioned in completely vulnerable areas because of the necessity for them to be unobstructed to be more efficient. This makes them perfect targets for lightning strikes, and while the damage at a strike point is not good, it is complicated by the subsequent damage. This happens when a power surge moves along connectivity lines from those end units to the machinery used in the process downstream. As a result, damage occurs at the strike point as well as further into the system. The integration of surge protection devices along the pathways electricity can travel can ultimately save downstream equipment, and make the entire system cheaper to maintain over time. The result is cheaper and cleaner power.