Fire hazard and other safety concerns of PV systems

Neelkanth G. Dhere

doi:10.1117/12.893927

21 September 2011 Fire hazard and other safety concerns of PV systems

Neelkanth G. Dhere

Proceedings Volume 8112, Reliability of Photovoltaic Cells, Modules, Components, and Systems IV; 81120Q (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.893927
Event: SPIE Solar Energy + Technology, 2011, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Photovoltaic modules are usually considered safe and reliable. But in case of grid-connected PV systems that are becoming very popular, the issue of fire safety of PV modules is becoming increasingly important due to the employed high voltages of 600 V to 1000 V. The two main factors i.e. open circuiting of the bypass diode and ground fault that are responsible for the fire in the PV systems have been discussed in detail along with numerous real life examples. Recommendations are provided for preventing the fire hazards such as having at least class C fire rated PV modules, proper bypass and blocking diodes and interestingly, having an ungrounded PV system.

Citation Download Citation

Neelkanth G. Dhere "Fire hazard and other safety concerns of PV systems", Proc. SPIE 8112, Reliability of Photovoltaic Cells, Modules, Components, and Systems IV, 81120Q (21 September 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.893927

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