Surge Protection for Photovoltaic Lighting


Photovoltaic Lighting

OVERVIEW

Today's increased reliance on very sensitive electronics makes surge protection an important topic for Photovoltaic Lighting, LED Street Lights and Smart Lighting Poles. The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety study found that $26 billion dollars was lost due to non-lightning power surges. In addition, there are about 25 million lightning strikes in the US each year that cause between $650M to $1B in losses according to the Insurance Information Institute, State Farm©. This page discusses how to best protect your Photovoltaic powered lighting system, LED Luminaire, Wireless Transmitters, IoT devices and other smart electronics with a Surge Protective Device (SPD) or multiple SPD’s.


Smart LED Street Light with PV Panel

Selecting the appropriate SPD

UL8801 requires surge suppression, whether individual or in combination with some other component(s), shall comply with the requirements of the applicable UL standard(s) that cover devices that provide those functions. This means selecting a surge protector from the following UL standards including UL1449 5th Edition, UL497B, and UL497E.

Recommended Surge Protectors for 277/480Vac Services

Location	Equipment	System	Surge Protector Model#
Main Service (High Risk)	Equipment Panelboard	277/480Vac	MDS750E-277Y
Main Service	Equipment Panelboard	277/480Vac	M50-277Y-A
Local Equipment	Lighting Control Panel	277Vac Power Input	DS74US-277Y/G
	Power Supply	120-240Vac Power Input	DS72US-230S/G
		24Vdc Power Output	DS220S-24DC
	Control Unit	Ethernet Cat 6A	MJ8-C6A
		4-20Ma	DLA-24D3
		Wireless	P8AX09-6G-N-FF

Recommended Surge Protectors for 120/208Vac Services

Location	Equipment	System	Surge Protector Model#
Main Service (High Risk)	Equipment Panelboard	120/208Vac	MDS750E-120Y
Main Service	Equipment Panelboard	120/208Vac	M50-120Y-A
Local Equipment	Lighting Control Panel	277Vac Power Input	DS74US-120Y/G
	Power Supply	120-240Vac Power Input	DS72US-230S/G
		24Vdc Power Output	DS220S-24DC
	Control Unit	Ethernet Cat 6A	MJ8-C6A
		4-20Ma	DLA-24D3
		Wireless	P8AX09-6G-N-FF

Systems that are evaluated for safety by UL8801


- PV modules, either separate or integrated with the luminaire
- Batteries (all chemistries) and charging circuitry
- Low voltage luminaires
- Control circuits and related auxiliary devices

References

#	Title
1	NFPA 70 edition 2020, Article 670 Industrial Machinery, 670.6 Surge Protection
2	NFPA 70 edition 2014, “Data Assessment for Electrical Surge Protective Devices”
3	NFPA 79 edition 2018
4	NFPA 79 edition 2018, Annex C, Examples of Industrial Machines Covered by NFPA 79
5	ANSI C62.41, Low-Voltage AC Power Circuits
6	ANSI C136.2, Roadway and Area Lighting Equipment - Dielectric Withstand and Electrical Transient
7	UL8801, Outline of Investigation for Photovoltaic (PV) Luminaire Systems
8	UL1598, Luminaires
9	UL924, Emergency Lighting and Power Equipment
10	UL1449 5th Edition, Surge Protective Devices
11	UL497B, Surge Protectors for Data Lines and Fire-Alarm Circuits
12	UL497E, Antenna Lead-in Conductors
13	UL508, Industrial Control Equipment
14	IEC 61643-11, Low-Voltage Surge Protective Devices - Part 11: Surge Protective Devices Connected To Low-Voltage Power Systems - Requirements And Test Methods
15	IEC 61643-21, Low Voltage Surge Protective Devices - Part 21: Surge Protective Devices Connected To Telecommunications And Signalling Networks - Performance Requirements And Testing Methods
16	IEC 61000-45, Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) - Part 4-5: Testing And Measurement Techniques - Surge Immunity Test
17	CSA 107.1, General Use Power Supplies
18	CSA 141, Emergency Lighting Equipment
19	CSA 250, Luminaires
20	NOM-001-SCFI, Standard for Electronic Equipment
21	NOM-003-SCFI, Electrical Products - Safety Requirements