Surge Protection Devices

Surge protectors protect electrical equipment against damage from overvoltages that are higher than the equipment can withstand.
An overvoltage is defined as a voltage that is twice the rated voltage.
Dangerous are transient overvoltages that reach high amplitudes in a very short time. Overvoltages can penetrate systems through low-voltage power lines, through power transformers and equipment circuits, through control, measurement, data and telecommunication lines and sensor lines, especially if they are located outside the building or on pipelines, tracks, etc. In the event of an electronic system being attacked by a surge pulse, the individual parts do not behave in isolation but interact with each other, even though they may not be galvanically connected. Surges always find their way towards the grounded parts or to other lines representing a distant ground.
The main principles of pulse surge protection are: external lightning protection - lightning protection system; internal lightning and surge protection - surge protection device.
Surge protection devices are installed at the transitions between LPZ, where they are also connected to the corresponding equipotential bonding system.

Photovoltaics is one of the largest and fastest growing renewable energy technologies.
PV systems are often exposed to various environmental conditions as they are installed in exposed locations such as on building roofs or open spaces.
Components of unprotected PV systems can be damaged by direct and indirect lightning strikes. The damage caused by atmospheric discharges can be significant and also repetitive. This damage can lead to operational downtime which, together with the considerable repair costs, result in further financial losses.
It is therefore necessary to install suitable surge protection devices in the PV systems.

The main principle in surge protection is, among other things, the comprehensiveness of protection. It is not enough to protect only the power lines, but all inputs and outputs to the building - including data, signal and telecommunication lines that can become conductive paths for surges.
Data, signal and telecommunication lines often provide critical infrastructure that in most cases is absolutely essential for ensuring the activities in the companies.
Therefore, their reliability and uptime is crucial.