Arc Flash Calculations for a 1.

3MW Photovoltaic System

Copyright Material IEEE

Paper No. ESW2014-03

Daniel R. Doan, PE Richard M. Derer

Fellow IEEE Member IEEE
DuPont Engineering DuPont Electronics & Communications
Wilmington, DE USA Parlin, NJ USA
doan@ieee.org richard.m.derer-1@dupont.com

Abstract – When planning for the installation of a 1.3MW should be given guidance on the proper personal protective
photovoltaic system, and its integration into an existing equipment (PPE) to wear that will protect them during an arc
facility’s electrical system, an arc flash study was performed to flash incident. A few of the tasks the workers might perform
determine the best protective device settings to minimize the are:
arc flash energy in the photovoltaic system, and to determine - switching to put the system in a safe condition
the effect of the additional short circuit current on the existing - lockouts
system arc flash calculations. The existing system has - troubleshooting (including voltage and current checks)
distribution at 13.8kV and two 10MVA transformers to a 2.4kV
feeder system. The photovoltaic system adds the hazard of II. PROJECT BASIC DATA
500 VDC sub-array collection wiring and terminations. The
DC arc flash exposure of PV systems, including those in the The existing plant system has distribution voltages of
inverter enclosures, can be complicated, and this paper 13.8kV and 2.4kV. See Figure 1 for a simplified one line
outlines the basic data collected for the study, the steps taken diagram of the portion of the site system that connects to the
to complete the calculations, the methodology used, the PV system. The 480V PV system is connected into 2.4kV site
results, and the team’s learnings. feeders #7 and #8 through a 1500kVA transformer.

Index Terms – arc flash hazard, DC systems, photovoltaics,

inverters.

I. INTRODUCTION

DC arc flash exposure is a known hazard, but has not been

researched thoroughly. Recent papers on the subject provide
theoretical methods that can be applied to estimate the
expected maximum arc flash energy from a DC system to
workers during an arcing fault incident. [1] [2] Further
research is planned by the IEEE/NFPA Arc Flash
Collaboration Research Project [3], but the timing of
publication of results is not known. Additional references on
arc flash hazards can be found by searching at the IEEE
Xplore website [4]. It is the responsibility of the project
engineering team to perform the best possible calculation for
estimating the arc flash energy, and good engineering
judgment is definitely required.
The exposure to arc flash hazards in photovoltaic (PV)
installations, like any DC system, can be due to unforeseen
problems with the equipment, even if equipment is properly
installed and maintained. For example, an internal spring or
other part of a switch can break during operation, and fall
back to create a short circuit across the exposed bus. The
panels and collector boxes for PV systems are exposed to
extreme conditions – rain, wind, high and low temperatures –
and a leak, or other damage, can bring water into contact with
insulators and cause a fault. As this equipment is usually
installed outdoors, varmint or insect entrance can also be an
issue.
Workers who operate and maintain these systems must
understand the arc flash hazards of the equipment, and Figure 1. Portion of system one line diagram

978-1-4799-2098-3/14/$31.00 ©2014 IEEE 1

 The 1.3MW PV system consists of 8,330 solar panel
modules, feeding into a varied system of combiners,
recombiners, and inverters. Two different module designs
(different manufacturers) were used in the system, with
parameters as shown in Table 1. Voc is the open circuit
voltage of the module under standard test conditions (STC),
2
usually 1 000 W/m sunlight irradiance, and cell temperature
of 25 degrees C. Isc is the short circuit current for the module
at STC. Vmpp and Impp are the voltage and current of the
cell at the point of maximum power. Most manufacturers give
another set of parameters for the modules, based on a
Nominal Operating Cell Temperature (NOCT) which is a
higher cell temperature based on a different set of conditions
2
(such as 800 W/m , ambient temperature of 20 deg. C, and
wind speed 1 m/s). The NOCT values for voltage and current
are usually lower than the STC values.

TABLE I. PV MODULES
Arrays Quantity of Voc Isc, A Vmpp Impp, A
modules
A,B,C,D 7251 157 1.43 121 1.20
E 1079 37 8.54 29.5 7.97

The modules are connected in series into strings as

described in Table 2.

TABLE 2. PV MODULE STRINGS

Arrays Modules Quantity of Voc Isc, A
per string strings per string
A, B, C, D 3 2417 471 1.43 Figure 2. Combiner and Recombiner boxes to Inverters
E 13 83 481 8.54
Physically, each solar panel module is approximately 1
The strings are brought together in combiner boxes, with meter square, so over 8000 modules takes up a lot of space.
from 23 to 52 strings per combiner. In arrays A,B,C, and D, The center of a site, recently cleared of older process
the outputs of 3 combiner boxes are brought together into buildings, was utilized for the installation. Figure 3 is a view
each recombiner box. The recombiner boxes (and combiner showing a small portion of the system. A plan view of the
boxes in Array E) are connected to the input terminals of the system, with each color dot representing a module, is shown
inverter cabinets via disconnect switches. Arrays A and B in Figure 4.
connect to 500kW Inverter ‘AB’; Arrays C and D to 500kW
Inverter ‘CD’; and Array E to 250kW Inverter ‘E’. See Figure 2
for a simplified diagram of one of these systems.

Figure 3. View of portion of PV system

2
 Figure 4. Plot plan of PV system installation

The combiner boxes, recombiner boxes, DC disconnect

switches, and inverters are all installed outdoors, with NEMA
3R construction. See Figures 5 and 6 for a view of these
system parts.

Figure 6. Inverter with DC Disconnect switches on right

Several concerns were identified when reviewing the

equipment for the study. First, the AC and DC wiring into the
inverters is connected in a single section of the enclosure. If
Figure 5. Combiner and recombiner boxes there is an arc flash incident on the DC bus, it would be
possible for the arcing products to initiate an arcing fault on
the AC circuit as well. This creates a potential for a higher arc
flash energy with both sources contributing.
Second, one of the fuse types installed in the system, a
400A fuse provided for fast-acting PV service, did not have a

3
time-current curve. From discussions with the fuse supplier,
we learned that the 400A version of this fuse had not yet been
tested for average melt and/or total clearing time.
Third, we realized from the solar module technical data that
the short-circuit current of the modules was not significantly
higher than the full output current. This could mean that the
previously used ‘maximum power’ calculation for DC arc flash
[2] might not be valid, since that method depends on a linear
source impedance.

III. CALCULATIONS

A. AC Arc Flash Calculations

The AC portion of the system was modeled, and the arc
flash energy calculations performed, using the IEEE 1584
methodology [5]. The incident energy results are shown in
Table 3. Isc is the bolted fault short circuit current at that point
in the system, and IE is the calculated incident energy. These
values are only the AC portion of the arc flash energy that is
available at the equipment.

TABLE 3. AC SYSTEM ARC FLASH ESTIMATE

2
Equipment Voltage Isc, A IE, cal/cm
Incoming 2400 17 856 8.3
switchgear
PV Switchboard 480 24 089 88.0
Main
PV Switchboard 480 24 080 13.8 Figure 7. DC Current flow to combiner box during a fault
Breakers to
Inverters The equation given for DC arc flash incident energy at the
Inverters AB and 480 21 426 0.77 maximum power point in other DC systems was previously
CD given [2] as shown in equation 1:
Inverter E 480 20 007 0.4 2 2
IEmax power = 0.239 * (Vsys/2) / Rsys * Tarc / (4*3.14*R ) (eq. 1)
where
B. DC Arc Flash Calculations IE max power is the estimated incident energy at the maximum
2
The DC portion of the system is more difficult to model, and power point, in calories/cm ,
is complicated by the concerns mentioned above. First, Vsys is the system voltage, in Volts,
consider the current flows during a fault in a combiner box. Rsys is the system resistance, in ohms,
The module strings connected directly into the combiner box Tarc is the arcing time, in seconds, and
are each individually fused, but the fuse size is not small R is the worker’s distance from the arc, in cm.
enough to open during a short circuit condition. With the
maximum current at 1.2A, and short circuit current at 1.43A, However, the values for the maximum power point for
there is not enough separation for a fuse to open. So the current and voltage in PV systems is not the same as other
current from the direct-connect modules will flow for the DC systems. From the manufacturer’s data, the maximum
maximum duration of the arc. The other modules, connected power available from the PV cells is determined through
to the inverter input bus through other combiner and testing, and is published in a set of curves, at select levels of
recombiner boxes, will also provide current to the fault. This irradiance. See Figure 8, which shows a typical set of current
current will flow to the faulted combiner box through its and power curves for a PV module.
protective device at the recombiner box. See Figure 7, where
the indicated fuse protects the combiner box from the majority
of the DC system short circuit current. The fuses in those
positions are special types for PV service, sized at 75, 100,
125, or 400A, depending on the location in the system.

4
 Using this equation for the combiner boxes, the results are
shown in Table 5. IE values are calories/cm . Working
2

distance R was set to arm’s length, 45.7 cm (18 inches). For

the portion of the current coming directly from the modules,
the fuses will not open at the maximum power point, which is
very close to the operating point. So the duration for that
portion of the calculation was set to 2 seconds, which is
typically used as a maximum for arc flash calculations. The
portion of current coming from the rest of the system (from the
recombiner box), is protected by the fuse listed under ‘Fuse
Size’ in Table 5, and the fuse curve was checked for the
maximum clearing time.
The total DC arc flash energy would be the sum of the two
values, as shown in the rightmost column. The combiner
boxes for Array ‘E’ were estimated to have an arc flash energy
Figure 8. Current and power output of typical PV module that requires arc flash PPE.
A similar arcing current situation occurs at the recombiner
The Impp (current at maximum power point) for the boxes, as shown in Figure 9. These are only used in Arrays
modules in Arrays A-D is 1.20A, and the Vmpp (voltage at A-D. Using equation (3) for the recombiner boxes, the results
maximum power point) is 121V. For Array E, the module are shown in Table 6. Again, the fusing in individual circuits
Impp and Vmpp are 7.97A and 29.5V. The string voltage for from combiner boxes is not intended to open quickly to protect
Arrays A-D can be determined from the module voltage of equipment or personnel from arc flash hazards.
121V, with 3 modules in series, for a total voltage of 363V.
The string voltage for Array E is the module voltage of 29.5V,
with 13 modules in series, for a total voltage of 384V. To
determine the current into each box, Impp can be multiplied
by the number of strings in parallel that are wired to each
combiner or recombiner. These values set up the input
values to a DC arc flash calculation as shown in Table 4 for
the combiner boxes in the system.

TABLE 4. DC SYSTEM VALUES FOR COMBINER BOXES

Combiner Box String Impp from Impp from
Vmpp modules recombiner
System AB: 52-string 363 V 62 A 1 409 A
System CD: 52-string 363 V 62 A 1 367 A
System CD: 27-string 363 V 32 A 1 397 A
System CD: 20-string 363 V 24 A 1 405 A
System E - 30-string 384 V 239 A 423 A
System E - 23-string 384 V 183 A 479 A

These values of Vmpp and Impp can be used to estimate

the maximum incident energy from a PV system. The
recommended equation for maximum incident energy from a
PV system is:
2
IEpv = 0.239 * (Vmpp * Impp * Tarc) / (4*3.14*R ) (eq. 2)
where
IEpv is the estimated incident energy at the PV maximum
2
power point, in calories/cm ,
Vmpp is the voltage of the cell maximum power point, in
Volts,
Impp is the current of the cell maximum power point, in
amperes,
Tarc is the arcing time, in seconds, and Figure 9. DC Current flow to recombiner box during a fault
R is the worker’s distance from the arc, in cm.

Simplifying this equation,

2
IEpv = 0.02 * (Vmpp * Impp * Tarc) / (R ) (eq. 3)

5
 TABLE 5. DC ARC FLASH ESTIMATE FOR COMBINER BOXES

Combiner Vmpp Impp from Duration IE from Impp from Fuse Duration IE from Total
Box modules (sec) modules recombiner size (sec) recombiner IE
AB: 52-string 363 V 62 A 2 0.43 1 409 A 125 .003 0 0.4
CD: 52-string 363 V 62 A 2 0.43 1 367 A 125 .003 0 0.4
CD: 27-string 363 V 32 A 2 0.22 1 397 A 100 .002 0 0.2
CD: 20-string 363 V 24 A 2 0.17 1 405 A 75 .001 0 0.2
E: 30-string 384 V 239 A 2 1.8 423 A 400 2 3.1 4.9
E: 23-string 384 V 183 A 2 1.4 479 A 400 2 3.5 4.9

TABLE 6. DC ARC FLASH ESTIMATE FOR RECOMBINER BOXES

Recombiner Vmpp Impp from Duration IE from Impp from Fuse Duration IE from Total
Box combiner (sec) combiner Inverter size (sec) Inverter IE
boxes boxes
AB: 156-string 363 V 187 A 2 1.3 1 284 A 400 2 8.9 10.3
CD: 156-string 363 V 187 A 2 1.3 1 242 A 400 2 8.6 9.9
CD: 131-string 363 V 157 A 2 1.1 1 272 A 350 2 8.8 9.9
CD: 124-string 363 V 149 A 2 1.0 1 280 A 300 2 8.9 9.9

The DC arc flash calculation for the Inverter input bus can
be calculated directly from the total Impp of each Array, using
equation (3). Again the fuse protection is not sized to protect
against any short circuit current, as the expected full load
current, maximum power current, and short circuit current are
all very similar values, so 2 seconds duration is used. Table 7
provides the results of this calculation.

TABLE 7. DC ARC FLASH VALUES FOR INVERTER BUSES.

Inverter Vmpp Impp IE mpp
System AB 363 1 471 A 10.2
System CD 363 1 429 A 9.9
System E 384 662 A 4.9

C. Combining the DC and AC calculations

It seemed possible that if there is an incident with an arc
flash on the DC bus of an inverter, the arcing products could
initiate an arcing fault on any nearby AC circuits as well. So it Figure 10. DC and AC buses in same inverter cabinet.
seemed prudent to add the DC and AC arc flash energy
values together, as both systems would be sources, providing
energy during an arc flash incident. In this equipment, the
inverter section has both AC and DC buses in the same
section of the enclosure. See Figure 10. Combining the D. Discussion Items
values in Tables 3 and 7, the final estimated arc flash energy It was initially thought that voltage drop in wiring from the
2
values for the inverters were determined to be 11.0 cal/cm for modules to combiner and recombiner boxes, and wiring to the
2 2
Inverter AB, 10.7 cal/cm for Inverter CD, and 5.3 cal/cm for inverter, would reduce the arc flash energy. This however did
Inverter E. not happen as the wiring to install each string was large
compared to the short circuit current. Calculations showed
that voltage drop has a negligible effect since each module
string (1.43A short circuit current) is wired with a #12 AWG
conductor. This makes sense, as PV systems are installed for
high efficiency, and resistance in the wiring, and hence
voltage drop, would be wasting energy.
The biggest discussion item was where on the curve the PV
system would operate during a fault. We could find no
research into this, so could not make any definitive
statements. We believe that the PV systems would have a
reduced voltage during a short circuit fault, but the current

6
would stay near the maximum power and short circuit values. J.P. , IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications,
We decided to use the maximum power point as the worst Volume: 46 , Issue: 5, Page(s): 1810 - 1819
case arcing energy. In most cases, we would expect some [2] “Arc Flash Calculations for Exposures to DC Systems”,
lower value of energy to be released during a PV system fault. Doan, D.R. , IEEE Transactions on Industry
Those performing an arc flash hazard analysis of other PV Applications, Volume: 46 , Issue: 6, Page(s): 2299 -
systems may be able to defend the use of a different point on 2302
the PV module curve. [3] IEEE/NFPA Arc Flash Research Project:
https://standards.ieee.org/about/arcflash/
IV. LEARNINGS [4] IEEE Xplore® website:
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/dynhome.jsp
We had several learnings while doing this study. First, we [5] IEEE 1584-2002 “Guide for Performing Arc Flash
found that the short circuit current of these PV cells is not Hazard Calculations”, IEEE Standards, 2002.
much higher than their typical load point. From this we found
that many of the typical design fuses installed in these
systems do not open quickly under short circuit conditions. IX. VITA
Some fuses did open, such as the recombiner box fuses
opening during a combiner box fault. Daniel R. Doan (S’80, M’81, SM’00, F’11) is a Principal
We learned that inverter layout design could be improved Consultant with DuPont Engineering in Wilmington, Delaware.
by separating the DC and AC buses in the inverter. In the Dan received the BSEE and MSEE degrees from the
case of this system, the AC arc flash energy was low, so there Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has co-authored
was not much additional energy. IEEE papers at IAS, PCIC and Pulp & Paper Conferences on
Finally, we found a higher value for arc flash energy than subjects ranging from electrical safety to electrical system
we initially expected. With the modules’ short circuit current reliability and operations. He has coauthored PCIC Tutorials
only slightly higher than the full load current, it is difficult to on Electrical System Reliability and Arc Flash Hazard
reduce the arc flash energy with normal protective devices. Analysis, and has participated in many IAS Electrical Safety
Protection technologies are beginning to be available that are Workshops as author and presenter. Dan is a Fellow of the
specifically designed for PV systems, and those technologies IEEE, a member of the IEEE 1584 ‘Guide for Arc Flash
should be carefully reviewed to determine if they can be Calculations’ Working Group, and is a registered Professional
applied in a specific system design. If maintenance has to be Engineer in Pennsylvania.
done on a PV system, it would be best to open disconnects at
the module and/or combiner box level, before working around Richard M. Derer (M’13) is a Facilities and Electrical
the recombiners or inverter enclosures. Engineer with DuPont Electronics and Communications in
This grid-connected system did not include any energy Parlin, New Jersey. Rich attended Drexel University. He has
storage system such as batteries. Battery systems are a received two corporate Engineering Excellence Awards, and
known source of DC arc flash, and give a higher short circuit has been a finalist for two others.
current during fault situations. PV systems that include
batteries would be a special case that should be carefully
studied to determine a worst-case arc flash incident energy
estimate.

V. CONCLUSION

Arc flash energy in a PV system is a hazard, and there are

no published guidelines for estimating the arc flash energy for
these systems. The user must understand the hazard and put
in place PPE and procedures to keep workers safe from
shock and arc flash hazards.
The developed theoretical equation can be used as a
conservative (worst case) approach that uses published
maximum power point voltage and current values for
manufactured PV modules.
Further research into this hazard is needed, to find a more
accurate and reasonable methodology for calculating an
estimate of the arc flash energy for these systems. Testing of
PV modules during fault conditions could help determine a
more reasonable point on the output curve to use for these
calculations.

VII. REFERENCES

[1] “DC-Arc Models and Incident-Energy Calculations”,

Ammerman, R.F. ; Gammon, T. ; Sen, P.K. ; Nelson,