Influence of lightning impulse voltages on power output characteristics of Photovoltaic modules

The capacity of the Photovoltaic (PV) power system is growing rapidly in the last decade. PV power systems are installed outdoors and are intended to be directly exposed to sunlight. During their operation, the PV modules are subjected to all types of climate stresses. These include temperature, UV, humidity, chemical erosion, and mechanical stresses. When the PV power systems are installed in an area where lightning events are observed, they are under the stress of direct lightning or lightning induced voltages. The focus of this research was to study the effect of lightning impulse voltages on the power output of the PV module. The paper investigated a type of 1.5 W, 6 V polycrystalline silicon PV modules. Their Maximum Power Output (MPO) were compared after they had been stressed repeatedly with different levels of lightning impulse voltages. The results revealed the MPO drops exponentially with the application of lightning impulse voltages.