Effect on Bypass Diodes of Passing an Impulse Current through the Metal Frame of a Photovoltaic Module

Abstract

Lightning damage to a photovoltaic power generation system has been observed to cause the bypass diode (BPD) in a photovoltaic module to fail. If a BPD fails owing to a short circuit, the short-circuited current could then flow in a closed circuit consisting of the cell string and the BPD, and burnout could occur. In this study, an impulse current test was conducted by passing an impulse current through the metal frame of a photovoltaic module to reveal the effect of the induced current and voltage generated in the photovoltaic module on the BPDs.