Perspectives of photovoltaic development in Poland
According to forecasts, by 2022, Poland’s new installed PV capacity will double compared to 2020, and by 2025 Poland’s cumulative installed PV capacity will reach more than 15 GW, ahead of the 2030 target.
The Polish solar boom is happening at every level–from smaller, privately-owned rooftop PV systems and commercial rooftop systems to large free-standing installations.
PV Safety and Protection against the DC arcs
With the booming growth of solar power in Poland, we were concerned about the number of fires being started by faulty wire management, arc faults not being detected, and as these systems age and installation breaks down, there’s going to be a higher likelihood of additional faults. Fire is always a potential hazard. Perhaps one of the most common causes is electrical arc faults, which are high power discharges of electricity between two or more conductors. If there was a fault that is detected, a rapid shutdown device initiate and put the system into a safe state.
The firefighter safety switch must be located either at the service disconnect or there must be a special rapid shutdown switch that enables rapid shutdown allows firefighters to physically flip a switch to reduce the electrical voltage of your solar panel system to safe levels in less than a minute. Some inverter systems are inherently compliant with module-level rapid shutdown on their own, while others require additional components to enable rapid shutdown, specifically for rapid shutdown can be a more cost-effective option than installing power optimizers or micro-inverters.
Obligations for Photovoltaic Installations
Article 29 (2) para. 16 of the Construction Law Act imposes an obligation to agree the design of a micro-installation (a photovoltaic installation with a capacity of up to 50 kW), whose capacity exceeds 6.5 kW, with a fire protection expert as regards its compliance with fire protection requirements.
The Act, in addition to the need to agree on the project in Article 56(1a), imposes an obligation to notify the authorities of the State Fire Service of the completion of the photovoltaic installation and the planned commencement of its use
PV Safety Solution Recommended by BENY Electric
Rapid Shutdown is meant to provide a safer working environment for the maintenance crew, first responders, and emergency personnel especially in the case of an emergency. BENY Electric offers a much wider selection of lower-cost, professional and reliable solutions for installers to know about:
- Solar Fire Safety Switch
We recommend the BFS -S series firefighter safety switch solution for solar building fire protection. It is a string level rapid Shutdown solution at more cost-effective. With AC power manual triggers off, off the DC high voltage at the meantime. The solution provides DC power mechanical, complete isolation, and disconnection in case of a fire emergency on a solar building.
The Firefighter switch features:
– Over-temperature protection (≧85℃)
– Manual AC off = DC off
– Reset AC on = DC on
– Easy to install for residential and commercial use
- Panel Level Rapid Shutdown (Higher Level Protection)
The panel-level rapid shutdown device available from BENY electric is designed for shutdown each panel on the rooftop when there is an emergency. The panel-level rapid shutdown device technically and functionally enables rooftop solar panel systems to de-energize quickly in less than a minute and ensures the whole panel area safety. Brings the most cost-effective and higher-level protection for the solar building.
(BENY model BFS-11/BFS-12): 3 ways of shutdown
– Automatically shutdown when the temperature ≧85℃
– Automatically shutdown in the event of an AC power failure
– Manual shutdown by the button switch
Why Choose BENY ELECTRIC
China’s largest manufacturer specializing in DC power protection systems
- Over 30-year experience with an in-house R&D team
- Top 1 DC switch brand in solar PV industry (BYSS series)
- Testing of raw materials ensure good-quality and fault-free materials. (UL Listed applied)
- Multiple automated production lines (voltage testing included)
- DC arc extinguishing chamber patent
- National-level laboratories – analog testing of solar DC 1000/1500V