Page 38 - Energize October 2022

NEWS

Top three safety hazards to avoid for

PV solar installations

Safety levels during solar panel commissioning and installation have been strengthened
substantially by the world’s first CAT III 1500 V true-RMS solar clamp meter

C omtest, Fluke’s local representative, announced the top three electrical hazards to

avoid when installing and maintaining PV solar installations to keep technicians safe.
Renewable energy is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world – recent
trends show solar installations have doubled within the last year and are expected to
double again by 2030. Such rapid expansion is accelerating the search for ways to reduce
risks associated with commissioning and installing photovoltaic (PV) systems. The resulting
demand for highly accurate hand-held devices capable of carrying out safe and reliable
measurements in these applications has now been met with the introduction of the world’s
first CAT III 1500 V true-RMS solar clamp meter, Fluke’s 393 FC.
In PV applications current is “wild” and not limited by electronics, therefore choosing
the correct solar testing equipment is vital if workers – and the PV system itself – are to be
protected against a range of potential electrical hazards.
The easy-to-use Fluke 1625-2 has world-class accessories to speed up set-up and test
time, and the tester indicates which stakes or clamps to connect for each test. The large
rotary switch and buttons are easy to operate, even with a gloved hand. Up to 1500 records
can be stored and accessed easily via the USB port.

No. 1 Electrocution temperature of the surface of the sun).
The Fluke 393 FC helps to protect against the three main electrical hazards – shock or The most at-risk set-ups are residential
electrocution from energised conductors, arc faults that spark fires and arc flash that inverters with input voltage up to 500 V
leads to explosions. Control measures and best practices that can mitigate these risks are and large-scale inverters with up to 1500
different when working with PV working with any other kind of energy-generating resource. V. It’s essential to use a meter that’s rated
That’s why it’s important that multimeters, test leads and fuses are rated for the application for the relevant measurement category
being worked on. or CAT rating as well as the application’s
Shock or electrocution from energised conductors can happen when current takes voltage level. This is so the unit can cope
an unintended path through a human body, with lethal results from as little as 50 mA with average voltage levels and high
hitting the heart. Electrical shocks are typically caused by faulty insulation of cables and voltage spikes and transients that are
wiring, damaged insulation of safety covers or improper grounding. The main places such capable of producing shocks or causing an
conditions exist in a PV system are the combiner box, the equipment grounding conductor, arc flash.
the PV source and output circuit conductors.
No. 3 Switching to 1500 V
No. 2 Arc faults and arc flash Most major manufacturers of inverters
Electrical arc faults that spark fires are high power discharges of electricity between two or and solar modules are moving from 1000
more conductors, with the discharge causing heat that can lead to the deterioration or even V systems to 1500 V for greater efficiency.
to burning of wiring insulation. PV systems are particularly vulnerable to arc faults caused For solar installations, overvoltage
by a disruption in conductor continuity or by unexpected current between two conductors, category CAT III 1500 V systems are being
often the result of a ground fault. more widely used and CAT III and CAT IV
Arc flash is a phenomenon of large-scale PV arrays that have medium-to-high voltage equipment is essential for PV systems
levels. Only since large-scale solar energy systems gave been created has arc flash become a at high altitudes. Only the Fluke 393 FC
DC issue, which is why arc flash hazard risk analysis must now be carried out on DC systems True-RMS Solar Clamp Meter matches
over 120 V. The issue is particularly prevalent when fault-checking in energised combiner the insulation demands of such CAT III
boxes, where PV source circuits are used in parallel to increase current, or when carrying environments.
out checks on medium-to-high voltage switchgear and transformers. An arc flash happens The meter is designed specifically
when there’s a significant level of energy available to an arc fault in DC and AC conductors. for use by PV installation technicians
The flash emits hot gases and radiant energy that can be around 19 500°C (or four times the and maintenance specialists who work

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