System to protect from unsafe conditions in an electrical power system

摘要

A system for autonomous protection from fires and electrical shock of components used in construction of photovoltaic arrays is disclosed. The system detects conditions that left unattended will result in conflagration of combustible materials and unwanted electrification. The disclosed system provides an active control mechanism that operates to take defective components off line and thus provide protection from fire and electrification hazards that otherwise could arise. The system also provides means for annunciation and notification when actions are taken. The system can be used, for example, to determine that a photovoltaic (PV) module is at risk of conflagration of its flammable structural elements due to intense heat of plasma produced by a direct current (DC) arc at a point in the grid of conductors that collect and carry current from photovoltaic cells exposed to solar irradiation.

主权项

1. A system for providing protection from unsafe conditions in an electrical power system comprising:
at least one light sensor configured to accept light from a non-arc source and generate a threshold signal indicative of the accepted light; a controller in communication with said at least one light sensor, the controller being configured to process the threshold signal to determine the existence of an unsafe condition, and generate an unsafe condition signal; an interruption device in communication with the controller, the interruption device being configured to interrupt flow of electrical current in response to the existence of an unsafe condition signal.