An Automated Testbed for PV Arcs Analysis

Arc faults are one of the leading causes of photovoltaic (PV) system failures and can ultimately result in electrical fires. Ensuring reliable arc fault detection is essential for maintaining the safe operation of PV systems. Electrical PV arcs are chaotic and challenging to characterize. Developing an effective arc fault detector is made possible by accurately characterizing arc faults. Therefore, a scientifically repeatable method is required to generate PV arcs within a controlled laboratory setting. A mechatronics arcs generator is developed based on the pull-apart method described in the UL1699B standard. This paper describes improvements to a previous design developed by REAPERLab team that overcomes limitations that include limited digital I/O, obsolescence of the MBED compiler, spurious electrical noise, and low resolution of oscilloscope. Additional safety precautions were added to the testbed. A MATLAB-based data library filter application is designed to simplify and optimize the handling and filtering of the extensive arc data repository, ensuring its accessibility and usability for researchers and professionals.