Analysis of Electromagnetic Induction due to Lightning on a Large-Scale Solar Power Generation

Abstract

Lightning causes intensive induced voltage and can be extremely harmful to a solar power plant. Particularly, due to the exposure to the open sky, Photo-Voltaic (PV) panels are highly susceptible to lightning that can damage the panels, DC lines, inverters and other equipment in the plant. To reduce this effect using a properly designed lightning protection system, in this paper, we investigate the induced voltage phenomena and its characteristics and effects on a large-scale solar power plant. The electromagnetic field and induced voltage in different places of the plant are measured by Virtual Surge Test Lab (VSTL) tool using Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method. Varying characteristics of electromagnetic interference are analyzed for the soil resistance, lightning time, and lightning locations. Our early results verify that the electromagnetic field and induced voltage largely depend on the location of the lightning strike. The induced voltages are also found to vary with the increase of soil resistivity and lightning time. Presented findings would be helpful to the development of a sustainable, safe and effective large-scale solar power plant.