Abstract
This article presents a five-year performance review of an early streamer emission (ESE) air terminal lightning protection system for a large scale PV power plant in Thailand. The comparison effect of a Franklin lightning protection system and the ESE lightning protection system was analyzed for the PV power plant. The ESE lightning protection system was selected to be implemented in the PV power plant. The capacity of the PV power plant studied was 8 MWp on an area of 150,000 square meters in the Nong Ya Plong district, Phetchaburi province, Western Thailand. A Franklin lightning rod type was also designed to be implemented in this PV power plant. The Franklin lightning rod type comprised 122 pieces but the ESE lightning rod type consisted of only 11 pieces. The conceptual design of the Franklin rod type followed the standard of the Council of Engineers, Thailand, and the ESE lightning rod type followed the NFC17102 standard of France. The estimated cost of installation was a key comparison to select the lightning protection system; the total installation cost of the Franklin lightning rod type was USD 197,363.80 and the ESE lightning rod type was USD 44,338.06. The lightning system was applied to the lightning arrester in the power plant to provide good protection, in which the balance of the pole to the mounting position is required to optimize the system performance. The result of the simulation also showed that the shading effects of the Franklin rod type were greater than the ESE rod type. The installation cost of the Franklin lightning rod type was 4.45 times more expensive than the ESE lightning rod type. Therefore, the ESE lightning protection system was selected to be implemented in the PV power plant. From the recorded data of the five-year performance of the ESE lightning protection system (2016–2020), there were three occurrences of a lightning strike on the PV power plant. The ESE lightning protection system effectively protected and prevented the lightning strike to the PV power plant. This study can help and support with the selection of a lightning system for the protection of large scale PV power plants in the future.
Highlights
Introduction iationsA solar system is a system that converts energy from sunlight and is widely used today because the cost per unit is reduced
Due to the above information, this paper examines the effects of light obscuring and the initial installation cost of both data systems to determine the installation cost of the lightning protection system of the studied power plants
The simulation was based on two types of lightning protection in an 8 MWp PV power plant
Summary
A solar system is a system that converts energy from sunlight and is widely used today because the cost per unit is reduced. The blocking of light to the solar panel reduces the efficiency taken into account. An installation design must avoid the incident light to the solar panel installed. Building areas for solar panel installation have been installed in the sea or large water reservoirs for maximum benefit. One thing to consider when installing a PV system is the prevention of lightning strikes on the solar panels, which cause damage to the installed solar power system. Lightning protection is required for the installed solar system of open spaces or high-rise rooves such as outdoor installations. A lightning protection system will cause lightning to come down to the protection system
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