Abstract
With increased electrical energy demands projected in the future, the development of a hybrid solar photovoltaic (PV)–battery energy storage system is considered a good option. However, since such systems are normally installed outdoors and in open areas, they are vulnerable to lightning strikes and may suffer from malfunctions or significant damage to sensitive components, which may result in a major breakdown and loss of revenue due to equipment replacement costs and inefficient operation. Thus, the objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of lightning-induced overvoltage on a hybrid solar PV–battery energy storage system, considering indirect lightning strikes nearby the system. The presented hybrid solar PV–battery energy storage system and lightning-induced overvoltage are modeled in Electro-Magnetic Transient Program-Restructured Version (EMTP-RV) software. The lightning-induced overvoltage is simulated based on a lightning waveshape of 10/350 µs using the Heidler expression, whilst the Rusck model is used to simulate the lightning-induced overvoltage. Different lightning current amplitudes (3, 19, and 169 kA), lightning strike locations (20, 50, and 100 m), and cable lengths (5, 10, and 20 m) are used to investigate the induced effects on the system and on the impulse withstand voltage of 6kV, as stated in MS IEC 60664-1 for solar PV–battery systems and inverters at the DC side. The results indicate that as the lightning strike distance increases from 20 to 100 m, the percentage of strikes exceeding the impulse withstand voltage reduces from 67% to 54% at 19 kA. At 169 kA, the impulse withstand voltage is exceeded by more than 100%, regardless of the strike distance (from 20 to 100 m). Furthermore, differences in cable length do not have much impact on the lightning-induced overvoltage due to the small voltage drop across the short cable length. This study provides useful information for PV systems owners and will be useful in assigning appropriate lightning protection schemes for PV farms.
Highlights
Malaysia has various energy resources from conventional sources, such as oil, natural gas, and coal, in addition to renewable energy resources, such as solar photovoltaic (PV) energy, hydropower, wind, and biomass
The simulations were divided into three sections, namely the lightninginduced overvoltage effect analysis on the hybrid solar PV–battery energy storage system with different lightning current amplitudes (e.g., 3 kA, 19 kA, and 169 kA), the analysis of different distances of lightning strike locations (e.g., 20, 50, and 100 m), and the analysis of different cable lengths (e.g., 5, 10, and 20 m)
One can logically infer that lightning-induced overvoltage is increased with increased lightning current amplitude, it was the aim of this paper to quantify the results based on several parameters, such as the cable length and distance from the lightning source
Summary
Malaysia has various energy resources from conventional sources, such as oil, natural gas, and coal, in addition to renewable energy resources, such as solar photovoltaic (PV) energy, hydropower, wind, and biomass. Conventional resources are gradually depleted, which is becoming a big concern for Malaysia and will require overcoming the nation’s overzealous reliance on conventional resources To overcome this problem, there is a need to balance the usage of both conventional and renewable energy resources. In order to make an industry of renewable energy sources more effective and profitable, the Net Energy Metering (NEM) scheme was launched by the Energy Commission and Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) Malaysia in 2016. Both of these schemes have the same objective, which is to allow any private individual or organization to generate electricity by using solar PV systems, since Malaysia is the third-largest producer of solar PV energy in the world.
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