Design and Implementation of Surge Protective Device for Solar Panels

Researchers for decades have utilized solar radiation as a sustainable renewable energy source. In this regard, Photovoltaic (PV) panels are satisfying the production of green energy and clean power. Frequently, these panels need to install on rooftops outdoor fields for maximum sun light feeding, thereby high-energy conversion to electricity. However, such PV systems installations are prone to direct or indirect lightning strikes. Herein, an impulse generator is designed to produce 750 V pulses for low voltage side to test the validity of our proposed surge protective device (SPD) as type-2. Moreover, the impulse generator provides 1.2/50μ$s$ and 8/20μ$s$ normalized voltage and current pulses, respectively. This approach controls the over-voltage caused by indirect lightening and thus protect solar panel systems. Furthermore, in the design of SPD, different components such as gas-discharge tube, transient voltage suppresser, metal oxide Varistor and Zener diodes are used to manage the impulse voltage at acceptable level. These results further highlighting the validity of implemented hardware.