[SMM PV Flash] Indonesian Researchers Find Multi-Point Grounding Can Cut PV Lightning Overvoltage by Up to 55%

Published: Oct 14, 2026 09:53 (GMT+8)

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Researchers from Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) and Universitas Hasanuddin in Indonesia have studied transient overvoltage in PV systems exposed to direct lightning strikes. Their simulations found that adding a second grounding point reduced transient overvoltage by around 47.5% to 54.8% under module-frame grounding and by 43.2% to 50.7% under mounting-structure grounding compared with single-point grounding. The study also found that grounding points located closer to the lightning strike provided stronger protection, while higher soil resistivity increased transient voltage levels. Published in Results in Engineering, the findings suggest that optimising the number and location of grounding points could improve lightning protection for PV systems, particularly in high-lightning-risk regions.

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