The upsurge of solar installations in both residential and commercial properties, often by less experience installers, who may not be fully aware of necessity for lightning protection, should be a major cause for concern.
Valsa Trading who have been the ‘go to’ local manufacturer and supplier of a complete range of fit for purpose PV solar solutions since its establishment 14 years ago in 2009, point out that the importance of earthing in electrical system installations is of utmost importance and cannot be compromised.
Svilen Voychev, Valsa’s CEO, said: “SANS regulations clearly stipulate that ‘the earth reference needs to be taken down through a correctly sized Green/Yellow GP wire, depending on the size of your live conductor, which will be terminated to an earth mat comprising a minimum of four earth spikes/rods to afford the installation and insulation resistance not greater than ≤3Ω.’
“Lighting strikes can produce around 300 million Volts and 30 000 Amps and this instantaneous discharge can not only terminally damage un-earthed electrical equipment but perhaps more to the point, lead to a building fire and loss of life and property. Failure to install an appropriate earthing system could also invalidate an owner’s insurance claim.
“Earth spikes provide the protection required to ensure that the installed electrical system is compliant according to SANS regulations. The purpose of earth spikes is to protect installed electrical equipment, such as inverters, batteries and solar panels, from lighting surges by channeling these large electrical currents into the ground.
“As part of our comprehensive range of solar components, we have assembled an earth spike kit which has been designed to comply with SANS regulations and comes as a complete package for installers, comprising earth spikes, BETAflamR Solar 125 RV flex 1500V DC cabling and all connections, at a competitive price” he explained.
Valsa provide installers with an earth spike installation guide as follows:
- It is important to note that the ground rods should be placed at a minimum distance of 2 metres apart. This is to ensure that any short circuit and leakage currents don’t affect the system operation.
- The entire grounding rod should be buried underground, leaving only the copper cable connector exposed.
An explanation diagram is included in the kit to simplify the manner in which the Earth Spike kit is installed.
