Understanding of DC leakage and faults in floating photovoltaic systems: Trojan horse to undermine metallic infrastructure and safety

This article elaborates on a recently published issue that calls the entire PV community's and utility management attention. It specifically provides further analysis on DC leakage and fault detection blind spots associated with the operation of floating PV Systems. Floating systems are almost a standard practice in Europe when it comes to the operation of large-scale PV parks. A floating PV system has neither the positive nor the negative DC current-carrying conductors connected to earth. The system nevertheless benefits from other earthing connections, including the bonding to earth of exposed metals (e.g. metal frames of the PV modules, supporting infrastructure, combiner boxes) that could become energised in a fault situation or even under normal operation due to DC coupling mechanisms. These may entail safety as well as accelerated DC corrosion concerns.