Fire in photovoltaic panel
Fire in photovoltaic panel
(OP)
Hi guys,
I am making a fire investigation in Italy. In order to consider also that risk, I have to evaluating the volts and ampere in a photovoltaic plants.
First of all I have to specify that this fire started in the morining of the 28 december, so it is possible to assume that the solar irradiance was very low.
I tried to use ecotect to evaluated but then I found this web site https://www.nrel.gov/midc/solpos/solpos.html and I thought that to find the Extraterrestrial Global Irradiance on a tilted surface could be a good approximation. I assumed that if it is an "extraterrestrial" irradiance then this does not take in to account the absorption and reflection of the atmosphere so this could be a good safety factor.
But I am not sure about this output value. Does someone think that these could be realistic? Do you think that there is a good alternative to this website?
Do you think that is proper use the I-V curve of the photovoltaic system datasheet in order to evaluate the Volt and Ampere?
Thanks guys everything can help:)
I am making a fire investigation in Italy. In order to consider also that risk, I have to evaluating the volts and ampere in a photovoltaic plants.
First of all I have to specify that this fire started in the morining of the 28 december, so it is possible to assume that the solar irradiance was very low.
I tried to use ecotect to evaluated but then I found this web site https://www.nrel.gov/midc/solpos/solpos.html and I thought that to find the Extraterrestrial Global Irradiance on a tilted surface could be a good approximation. I assumed that if it is an "extraterrestrial" irradiance then this does not take in to account the absorption and reflection of the atmosphere so this could be a good safety factor.
But I am not sure about this output value. Does someone think that these could be realistic? Do you think that there is a good alternative to this website?
Do you think that is proper use the I-V curve of the photovoltaic system datasheet in order to evaluate the Volt and Ampere?
Thanks guys everything can help:)





RE: Fire in photovoltaic panel
One thing that you should keep in mind is the nature of the tie inverter (or battery system or rotating machinery). In my (rather limited) experience, a solar panel does not set itself on fire, because of the current limiting characteristic, but it can be killed if there is a damage in the panel and the receiving battery or rotating DC motor (that drives the grid tie generator) feeds back into the panel without any fuses.
Some installations do not use fuses because of the current limiting V/I curve and then, a defect in the panels can cause a high current to flow back into the panel.
Systems with grid tie inverters (using a PWM inverter) cannot feed back and therefore doesn't have this problem.
Out of curiosity: is there a PWM inverter, a battery or a rotating DC motor in the system?
Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org
--------------------------------------
Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.
RE: Fire in photovoltaic panel
RE: Fire in photovoltaic panel
That could be a risk in itself if there are no fuses or overcurrent protection (or diodes) for each panel. Then, a failure in one panel will be subject to current from all panels. Otherwise, a PWM inverter shouldn't be a risk per se.
Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org
--------------------------------------
Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.
RE: Fire in photovoltaic panel
If it is possible I want to ask you another thing, the panel were SLA 245P (http://www.silfab.eu/core/media/downloads/master/s...). Know that for example the irradiance was 180 W/m^2, with 10°C. How can I know Volt and Ampere? I ask you that because in every solar panel datasheet there are I-V curve with at minimum 200 W/m^2, how can I extimate my data if I have a different irradiance?
You are very helpful Gunnar...thank you so much
RE: Fire in photovoltaic panel
The idling voltage is not very irradiation dependent. Instead, it is temperature dependent and increasing when temperature decreases. That may be surprising, but is a result of the diode forward drop decreasing with temperature.
Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org
--------------------------------------
Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.
RE: Fire in photovoltaic panel
How can I see how much the voltage increases depending on temperature... Sorry for all thes questions :)
RE: Fire in photovoltaic panel