SURGE PROTECTION DEVICE (SPDs)

Solar photovoltaic (PV) plants are susceptible to electrical surges, which can cause costly damage to equipment and result in temporary power supply outages. A Surge Protection Device (SPD) is designed to protect electrical systems and equipment from power surges or spikes. It protects the plant from spikes caused by lightning strikes, power grid switching, or equipment faults. Surges can lead to the complete failure of electronic components and subsystems.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SURGE PROTECTION DEVICES AND LIGHTNING ARRESTORS

Devices like Lightning arrestors and Surge protection devices should be used together to ensure the safety of electrical and electronic systems.

These devices protect the electrical system against permanent or transient overvoltage caused by defects in the conductor or failure in transformers.

The lightning arrestor is the primary protection designed to handle large high-energy surges, such as direct lightning strikes.

Meanwhile, SPDs are secondary protection designed to protect against smaller, more frequent voltage spikes or surges that can still reach the internal system even after the energy from a lightning strike is diverted.

SPDs protect small sensitive devices not designed to handle even minor voltage spikes.

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INSTALLATION POINT OF SPDs

In renewable energy systems, SPDs can be installed at the input/output of solar inverters. They can also be installed in battery storage systems and wind turbines. SPDs can also be installed on communication and data lines, such as with RS-485 cables.