What to do when PV equipment is hit by floods?

In the midst of heavy rains that hit Rio Grande do Sul – affecting more than 2 million people and damaging more than 95 thousand homes (such as residences, buildings and condominiums) – players in the sole sectorr came together to carry out the ILUMINA RS campaign – which is enabling the retrofit of photovoltaic equipment affected by floods.

In addition to this initiative, which has already recovered around 30 customers who had their products damaged, the engineering team at JA Solar is guiding, through a technical noteOn What to do in case of flooding.

According to the company, develop a generic definition, in relation to the necessary procedures when the components of the photovoltaic system are affected by floods, It's not a simple task.

There different possible scenarios with different impacts, such as the submersion time, the way in which the equipment was submerged (partially or completely) and the force of the water when it reached the location.

"Therefore, Each situation must be treated individually and must be analyzed by a trained professional., whether an electrical engineer or electrical technician, who is aware of the electrical risks associated with a flooding scenario, established in NR10, and the necessary protections to guarantee safety, described in NBR 5410”, they explained.

Despite the variety of conditions in flooded plants in the state of RS, some guidelines can be followed by everyone, such as staying away from the photovoltaic installation area until the water has completely receded and dried, and keeping the circuit breakers, close to the inverters, turned off .

After drying, it is recommended to carry out a cleaning at the installation site and on the photovoltaic modules, removing earth or any type of material that could hinder the panel's operation.

“When reconnecting the system, it is extremely important that a technical inspection is carried out by a prepared professional, as mentioned at the beginning, to check the damage, with appropriate tools and PPE”, said the manufacturer.

In the case of solar panels, they have a field in their datasheet that will inform the degree of protection against the entry of solids and liquids inside, or IP degree of protection:

As shown in Figure 1, JA Solar junction boxes and connectors have an IP68 degree of protection. The first digit is responsible for indicating the degree of protection in relation to the entry of solids, which can vary from 0 to 6, with 6 being the maximum protection, which indicates that the equipment is sealed against dust. 

“The second digit, which is most relevant in flood situations, concerns the entry of liquids, and can vary from 0 to 9, with 8 indicating protection against continuous immersion in water under conditions specified by the manufacturer”, they reported.

For JA modules, the test conditions that guarantee IP68 are: submersion for 30 minutes up to 1,5 meters deep, that is, for scenarios that occur within this range, the equipment warranty is valid and damage will not compromise panel operation.

Regarding cases that exceed the submersion time or depth limits, as they are outside the tested environment, JA Solar does not guarantee correct operation or possible long-term damage and the panels are excluded from the product warranty. The recommendation, according to the company, is that the customer contacts the photovoltaic system's insurance company to request the exchange of the panels.

JA has a specialized after-sales technical team in Brazil, prepared to assist customers who have suffered from the floods in Rio Grande do Sul and email contacts can be found at website.

About the ILUMINA RS project

The campaign was created by Rede Brasil Solar and BayWa re, in partnership with Banco BV, Clamper, Fronius, JA Solar, LONGi, Santander, SolarEdge, Solar Group, SIL, Stäubli, Sungrow and Yes Energia Solar.

Tiago Fernandes, Commercial Director at YES Energia Solar, commented on the importance of the initiative, which focuses on retrofitting, that is, working on recovering systems with new equipment. “We do not focus on repairing inverters, but rather on bringing new, more robust solutions to customers that, in some way, recycle project guarantees for all customers”, he emphasized.

“The project has recovered systems both from customers who, perhaps, have financing in progress, that is, the monthly expense would be an additional problem, and from customers who, perhaps, have already paid off their system, but would also have to pay for another recovery cost,” he said.

According to him, the program currently has around 80 confirmed customers reached. “We have already advanced by almost 60, with fault diagnosis and technical visits, and we have already recovered practically 30”, highlighted Fernandes.

“We continue to have a large base receiving leads, that is, partners and integrators who are learning about the program and coming to us with some needs. I believe that, within expectations, we will be able to serve practically everyone with conditions, prices, deadlines and specialized technical labor”, concluded the Commercial Director.

Paulo Fernandes Alves, CEO of Rede Brasil Santa Maria, also commented on the role of the project, which gives an opportunity for the people of Rio Grande do Sul to rebuild everything that was lost. “Some did not lose homes, but they lost production, farming and other assets, and we know that energy is fundamental every day.”

“The aim of ILUMINA RS is to ensure that electrical energy, an essential asset for life and which generates daily costs, is not a problem and that it is resolved in the way we planned: at cost price and as quickly as possible”, he highlighted.

According to Alves, one of the challenges faced with the project is the hope that people from Rio Grande do Sul have that their damaged system will work again over time. “We have several customers who are waiting for their inverter to dry out, for example, hoping that the equipment will return to normal operation.”

“We know that there is a great risk, and the manufacturers themselves have already signaled this. Therefore, we have the difficulty of showing that our objective is to help them return to generating their own energy at cost price, without profiting from those who were affected. However, many people believe that the product will work again, which naturally will not happen,” he said.

The executive explains that there is a high probability that the equipment will generate a problem within the first few days or even when it starts working again. “We have several systems ready to replace inverters and modules.”

“Our region (Santa Maria) was not hit as hard as the metropolitan region, and the balance we make is extremely positive, as many who were not affected by the floods sought information to better understand how their product works and how their system works , and we saw that this is also positive in terms of consumer education”, concluded the CEO. 

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