Overvoltages on DC Side of Power Conditioning System Caused by Lightning Stroke to Structure Anchoring Photovoltaic Panels

SUMMARY Photovoltaic (PV) power plants and wind turbines are eco-friendly power generators that utilize solar energy and wind energy, respectively. Many large-scale PV power plants have been constructed using government subsidies. Large-scale PV power plants are usually constructed in large open spaces that contain some tall structures. Therefore, such large-scale PV power plants are likely to attract lightning, which may result in the malfunction or breakdown of electrical and electronic equipment. In this investigation, overvoltages generated when a lightning strikes a structure anchoring PV panels were measured using a 1:10 scale model. The measurements were also verified using the finite-difference time-domain method. The mechanisms of overvoltage generation on an actual-scale PV power plant were also clarified.