This is by far the absolute best video explaining these devices. However, what would have made it even better would have been to show how to connect the actual devices, and explaining that these are a onetime use for a large spike and they can't be reset.
This is an amazing description of how to select and utilise an SPD, very informative and very helpful. Just to add, that I did not know that SPD's are none resettable once tripped. Thumbs Up.
i really appreciate your explaination which i have been looking for a long time...I do have an inverter with 450 vdc input and i notice even with the spd, the dc input alway get burn, now I understand that i have been using over rated spd of 500v and above
It is great information you give us, as you said we must make sure that our SPD a rated at specific value e.g if your PV is 95v is best to install SPD of 100v, what i will like to know is it recommended AC also to have 5v different or it can be more
According to our tech team, Acceptable SPDs for PV are the Citel DS240-350DC / Phoenix Contact VAL-SEC-T2-2+0-380DC-FM for the 230V models, and the Citel DS240-220DC / Phoenix Contact VAL-SEC-T2-2+0-220DC for the 120V models. For AC input, acceptable example SPDs are Citel DS41S-230 / Phoenix Contact VAL-MS 230 for the 230V models, and the Citel DS41S-120 or Phoenix Contact VAL-SEC-T2-1S-175-FM
I have 12 panels connected in series, the total open circuit voltage of the panels is 578v DC. Would a 600V DC SPD be sufficient to protect my setup? Also what about the wire gauge of the ground wire, I am using 9AWG ground wire.
Thank you for reaching out, There should be at least one SPD per MPPT input to the Inverter. The PSD is to protect the PV input, according to our tech team.
Great explanation but I'm still confused. Isn't it better to pick SPD that has highest capacity? Because 500 or 1000v won't make any difference if most of lightning has 30-100 million volts
Hello, the end goal is to protect your Any-Grid inverter from voltage spikes. The SPD needs to be rated so that it protects the hardware limitations of the inverter but also allow it to perform. SPDs are specifically designed for this purpose in mind. We only need to make sure we pair them to equipment correctly.
I get so much conflicting information with regard to "uc" and "up" values. Would be great if you could shed a light. Even OpenAI's chatgpt is giving me information that seem opposite to this.
Hello, thank you for engaging with us! According to our engineering team.. Uc refers to the maximum continuous working voltage of the SPD when not active. Above this voltage, the SPD will begin to conduct energy towards ground. This voltage needs to be sized to the equipment, and should match the maximum working voltage of the system that it is meant to protect. This is the most important value when sizing an SPD. Up is the voltage protection level of the SPD. This is the maximum voltage across the SPD when it is actively dissipating energy to ground. The range between Uc and Up is the range of operating voltages of the SPD when it is active and dissipating energy to ground. The voltage may be lower than Uc - but the device will not become active until the voltage has surpassed Uc. Hopes this helps!
So for my learning in a series of say 5 panels rated at 50 voc the spd would need to be rated at 250v dc just over …. Is there a multiplayer for the safety cap between the string voltage and the SPD limit ? Thanks for the very concise video
Hello, thank you for your question. We are eager to offer support. Please reach out directly to our technical department here: www.phocos.com/contact/#contactech
Hello, we apologize for the late reply. Assuming you are using a PSW-H-3KW-230/24V or PSW-H-5KW-230/48V, the manual recommends the Citel DS240-350DC or Phoenix Contact VALSEC-T2-2+0-380DC-FM. However, this is assuming the full 450 Voc is being used for PV. As this is not the case for you, choosing an SPD with a Uc rating (max. operating voltage) of you actual PV array Voc (consider coldest temperatures in winter) will actually provide better protection (the SPD will start to act at a lower surge voltage). With a Uc of 350 Vdc, the Citel DS240-280DC would be best suited for your PV array. Always use DC-rated SPDs for solar arrays. See our video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-joFCSb8OLFw.html for more details.
Hello, we apologize for the late reply. For assistance, please reach out to our technical team by filling out a short form here: www.phocos.com/contact/#contactech
Hello, the PSW-H 5kW 230/48V can accept a maximum PV input of 450Vdc which means that with an SPD rated at 500Vdc would not offer adequate protection. An SPD rated at 500Vdc would only begin to act after the maximum PV input voltage of the PSW-H has been exceeded, at which point the MPPT component of the PSW-H may already have been damaged. To ensure adequate protection, the SPD device should be rated to 450Vdc (Uc 450V), examples of suitable devices would be Citel DS240-350DC or Phoenix Contact VAL-SEC-T2-2+0-380DC-FM. Further information regarding AC surge protection devices can be found on pg 3 of the PSW-H manual, which can be downloaded from our website here: www.phocos.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Any-Grid_PSW-H_EN-manual_2022-02-21.pdf
I’ve seen it said that you can just plug your panels in series into the built in mc4 connectors on the psw-h 48v 5kw unit. Are you saying you would still need an spd on the panels? SPD… isn’t that a German political party?
Hello, the surge protective device (SPD) is strongly recommended regardless of the PV setup. By their nature, solar panel arrays are installed outside and are therefore liable to pick up voltage surges during thunderstorms, which the SPD is designed to mitigate to some extent, protecting the equipment connected to it, the PSW-H in this case.
@@phocos-global I want to add something which is very important, always Install a device(breaker) in series with SPD because sometimes SPD becomes shot-circuited after getting faulty & can damage other equipment as well .
Hello, this may or may not be permitted, depending on your local electrical code. But if the PV grounding rod is correctly installed and has an adequately low resistance to ground, then there is nothing fundamentally wrong with this approach.
