Direct lightning protection for PV systems: a novel approach to eliminate shading effects

Worldwide photovoltaic technologies are being deployed at an increasing rate due to the urgent effort to address climate change. The ability of the PV system to convert sunlight into electrical power at any size makes it very attractive to house owners, manufacturers, and commercial entities. To gain maximum output of the PV system, the panels must be installed at a location that is exposed to the sun without any shading. On a building, it is usually set up on the roof to avoid any possible shading during sunny hours. The desire to eliminate any shade, and expose the system to lightning strikes during storm conditions. The PV system is connected to the building or infrastructure electrical system. Therefore, under a lightning strike, the lightning energy can find its way to the building network causing severe damage, and could reach fatality. To reduce the risk of damage, engineers design direct and indirect lightning strikes. In this paper, the author addresses only the direct lightning protections. The work explains the role of the earth grid and the parameters that influence its performance. Also, the work proposed a novel layout of the lightning masts for a back-to-back east and west panel orientation where there is no room to extend the separation of PV rows.