Line–Line Fault Analysis and Protection Challenges in Solar Photovoltaic Arrays

Zhao, Yi; Palma, Jean-François de; Mosesian, Jerry; Lyons, Robert; Lehman, Brad

doi:10.1109/tie.2012.2205355

Cited by 244 publications

(95 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Intra-string faults impact the array IV curve similarly, making it impossible to discern their location from array electrical measurements. This behavior exists for ground faults and intra-string line-line faults as well [10].…”

Section: B Parallel Arc-faultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

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Electrical simulations of series and parallel PV arc-faults

Flicker

Johnson

2013

2013 IEEE 39th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC)

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Abstract-Arcing in PV systems has caused multiple residential and commercial rooftop fires. The National Electrical Code® (NEC) added section 690.11 to mitigate this danger by requiring arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCI). Currently, the requirement is only for series arc-faults, but to fully protect PV installations from arc-fault-generated fires, parallel arc-faults must also be mitigated effectively. In order to de-energize a parallel arc-fault without module-level disconnects, the type of arc-fault must be identified so that proper action can be taken (e.g., opening the array for a series arc-fault and shorting for a parallel arc-fault). In this work, we investigate the electrical behavior of the PV system during series and parallel arc-faults to (a) understand the arcing power available from different faults, (b) identify electrical characteristics that differentiate the two fault types, and (c) determine the location of the fault based on current or voltage of the faulted array. This information can be used to improve arc-fault detector speed and functionality.

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Section: B Parallel Arc-faultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…A common method of circuit simulation is the use of SPICE. In this work, MacSPICE is used to analyze the behavior of a PV array during various arc-fault conditions [9,10].…”

Section: Pv Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrical simulations of series and parallel PV arc-faults

Flicker

Johnson

2013

2013 IEEE 39th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC)

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“…There are two major considerations for fire safety of photovoltaic systems [2]: Fires could be caused by PV components and systems -"origin fire scenario"; Fires could be caused by external sources -"victim fire scenario".…”

Section: Pv Main Causes and Mechanisms Of Fire Ignitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire risk related to the use of PV systems in building facades

Mazziotti

Cancelliere

Paduano

et al. 2016

MATEC Web of Conferences

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Abstract. Nowadays the use of photovoltaic (PV) systems in buildings is not only related to the solar energy conversion into electrical one, but these PV modules or panels could also be used with aesthetic features or, even more, as thermal protection systems in building facades.Thanks to the technical development of the photovoltaic industry, PV system can easily be architectonically integrated into building construction elements such as roofs, vertical façade components, both with opaque or transparent surfaces. Furthermore, PV construction facades elements could also be provided by openings like doors or windows.Accident analysis show that the use of PV systems as construction elements could increase the risk of fire in buildings. In fact, international and National data report a growing number of fire caused by PV system applied or integrated in buildings. The Italian National Fire Service, that is the Authority having jurisdiction for fire safety in buildings (in Italy), in 2012 has released a Guideline in order to asses and mitigate the risk of fire when a PV system is put in place on a building as a façade or as a roof. The Guideline addresses not only the reduction of the PV fire ignitions causes and the aspects related to the fire spread due to the combustible parts that constitute PV modules or panels, but also take into account the safety of both the maintenance personnel and the rescue teams. This paper focuses on the fire safety aspects related to the use of fire PV panels and systems in building facades, showing some interesting experimental data related to the fire behaviour of these components and underlining the factors that promote the spread of fire, like the high operating temperature of the PV system itself.

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“…However, the output power of a PV system is influenced by changes in environmental conditions, such as solar radiation and temperature. In addition, output power may be affected by any fault within the PV array, such as grounded faults, open circuit faults, and bridged faults [4][5][6]. Power fuses, overcurrent protection devices, and grounded fault protection devices can be employed to isolate grounded faults on DC-DC converter sites and DC-AC inverter sites, but as fault currents are also affected by environmental conditions, protection devices are unable to clear the fault under low solar radiation or during night-to-day transition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies [6][7] have proposed that use of the MPPT algorithm may prevent faults during periods of lower solar radiation and night-to-day transition, as the algorithm can locate the reference value at the maximum power point. When the measured output power is degraded, based on the electrical property, faults such as grounded faults, line-to-line faults, and open circuit faults can be identified [6,[11][12][13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple Fault Location in a Photovoltaic Array Using Bidirectional Hetero-Associative Memory Network in Micro-distribution Systems

Chang¹,

Pai²,

Chou³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Abstract:In manual maintenance inspections of large-scaled photovoltaic (PV) or rooftop PV systems, several days are required to survey the entire PV field. To improve reliability and shorten the amount of time involved, this study proposes an electrical examination based method for locating multiple faults in the PV array. The maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm is used to estimate the maximum power of each PV panel; this is then compared with metering the output power of PV array. Power degradation indexes are parameterized to quantify the degradation between maximum power and metered output power. Bidirectional hetero-associative memory (BHAM) networks are then used to locate multiple faults within the entire PV field. For a rooftop PV system with two strings, experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model has computational efficiency for real-time applications and that its algorithm is easily implemented in a mobile intelligent vehicle.

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Line–Line Fault Analysis and Protection Challenges in Solar Photovoltaic Arrays

Cited by 244 publications

References 37 publications

Electrical simulations of series and parallel PV arc-faults

Electrical simulations of series and parallel PV arc-faults

Fire risk related to the use of PV systems in building facades

Multiple Fault Location in a Photovoltaic Array Using Bidirectional Hetero-Associative Memory Network in Micro-distribution Systems

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