Accelerated Aging Tests on PV Grounding Connections

As many contemporary Photovoltaic (PV) Power systems being installed are designed to produce significant amount of electricity and claimed to operate for 25 years or more, appropriate grounding on PV modules to reduce or eliminate shock and fire hazards becomes a critical issue under high electricity output and long-term use. Although some PV manufacturers have provided technical bulletins to suggest grounding products and methods, not all of them have been carefully evaluated and reviewed by the certification/listing laboratories. In this paper, different types of PV grounding connectors were collected, installed and put into accelerated environmental test chambers. The effects of current cycling, assembly force, anti-oxidation coating application on grounding reliability were evaluated. The grounding failure modes and mechanisms are also discussed in this paper.