As floods which reach almost 90% of cities in the Rio Grande do Sul since the beginning of May have caused a concern information to gauchos that count with solar energy systems installed in their homes and/or businesses.
After all, What should be done with technology if properties are or are at risk of being submerged by rainwater? Is there any recommendation to be followed by consumers in this type of extreme situation?
Ao Canal Solar, some of main manufacturers of investors in the world reported that there is a standard recommendation that should be applied to avoid damage to the system as a whole and risks of accidents due to electric shock.
As companies were unanimous in saying that in cases like the one that has been occurring in Rio Grande do Sul the correct is to turn off the photovoltaic system under the supervision of a technical engineer and only reconnect it after it dries completely.
Check out the guidelines from each company heard in the report.
ChintPower
The manufacturer, firstly, highlighted that isolated consumers should stay away from the photovoltaic module area, as even in this type of situation they may experience tension.
“After the flood water has receded, it is important not to restart your system without specialized technical ”, highlights Christine Gomes, electrical engineer and responsible for the products area at ChintPower.
According to the professional, if a property has not yet been the victim of a flood, it is important that the consumer seek specialized technical to turn off the system as a whole, both the inverter and the circuit breaker, the AC switch and the DC switch.
“This way, you can guarantee safety for the photovoltaic system as a whole, as the inverter was not designed to be submerged in water”, highlighted Christine.
Solis
In a note, the company said that photovoltaic inverters that have been completely or partially submerged, or have been exposed to intense rain, must be kept switched off.
According to the multinational, this must occur until the system dries completely for safety reasons, avoiding “short circuits, damage to internal components and ensuring everyone’s safety”, highlighted the Solis.
Kehua Tech
A Kehua Tech reinforced that the inverters were not made to work submerged, as there is no protection for that. “Operating in this manner damages the equipment,” the company stressed.
“It is recommended that temporary deactivation be carried out until the equipment and system are evaluated, as the customer may also have other problems after flooding”, informed the manufacturer. The water is also mixed with clay that can be deposited inside the equipment.”
Sunrow
A Sunrow, like other companies, also recommends that inverters be kept switched off until a complete assessment is carried out by a qualified professional.
“We emphasize that any cabling disconnection procedures and operations on interruption and sectioning devices in photovoltaic systems must be carried out exclusively by specialized technicians, strictly observing all current safety standards and, imperatively, in conditions of absence of solar irradiance to prevent occurrences accidental.”
Sungrow also emphasizes that such devices, once deactivated, should not be reactivated under any circumstances until a complete assessment of the compromised equipment is completed.
Livoltek
A Livolone drew attention to the fact that when the inverter is subjected to high amounts of water – whether due to flooding, high volume of direct rain or submerged for any other reason – the correct thing to do is to call the professional responsible for the installation.
“Request an inspection of the switchgear, the electrical network, to make sure there has not been a short or something similar. After three days without water for drying, the technician must go to the installation site, turn off the inverter (if it is not already turned off), and carry out a complete review of the entire installation of the home or business.”
Growatt
Guilherme Peterlini, service manager at Growatt Brazil, in turn, informed what installers need to do when receiving a call from a customer in extreme cases of flooding.
According to the executive, professionals will have to, in addition to turning off the photovoltaic system, basically carry out commissioning from scratch.
“It will be necessary to measure the voltages of the strings and check the quality of the grounding, checking the voltage between the polarities (positive and negative) and the insulation resistance of the photovoltaic system. It's like checking the equipment again from scratch before turning it on and correcting it if you find anything strange. This first measurement is important, and the next step is to analyze the condition of the inverter” he commented.
In this sense, Paterlini instructed professionals to dry the inverter externally and open the equipment (as it will have lost its warranty) to check whether it is also dry inside.
If it is also dry internally, the professional advises professionals to only connect the equipment to DC, turning only the equipment's switch-disconnector switch and leaving the AC circuit breaker open.
“See if the inverter turns on, the LCD display lights up and shows an AC connection error. Then, close the circuit with the AC circuit breaker and see if the inverter can synchronize with the grid and increase its power”, concluded the Growatt professional.
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Answers of 2
The manufacturers did not answer the question in the article, did not provide procedures or clarify the risks of submerged inverters. Considering that 90% of rescues were carried out by civilians/volunteers and could not be different due to the size of the event, what is the safe procedure, what should be done to rescue people on roofs with s? Can a submerged inverter with DC power short out spontaneously? The water becomes electrified near the inverter or it burns the circuits and the event ends. These were the doubts that circulated
In my opinion, the answer was what to do after the water goes down…”call the technician”
Possibly the people who participated in the rescues did not assess the risks, but questions arose.
Good evening. This article is very good for flooding cases. But here in the southwest of São Paulo, we had very strong winds and some s were badly damaged. It seems that the wind brought particles, branches, and put a lot of stress on the s. People who had home insurance were reimbursed, and they didn't have to spend money to buy what the rain and wind damaged. After that, I updated the value of my home insurance, where I have s. I think it's a good tip, after all, the Solar System is not cheap, if it is completely lost.