Simulation and Experimental Study on Response Characteristics and Damage Patterns of Typical Photovoltaic Systems Illuminated by HEMP

As an essential component of the power system, the stability of photovoltaic (PV) systems under high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) is critical. In view of the insufficient studies on the vulnerability of PV systems under HEMP, the system-level irradiation experiment has not been conducted. This article simulated the response characteristics of the typical PV system under HEMP by the transmission line method (TLM) and sorted out the weak points and potential damage mechanisms. The system-level HEMP irradiation experiment of typical PV systems was designed and performed; the actual coupled characteristics and damage patterns of typical inverters under HEMP were obtained, which confirmed the validity of the simulation. Eventually, several specific protective measures are proposed based on the simulation and experimental results. The results indicate that, at an electric field strength of 50 kV/m, 9 m PV cable is capable of conducting a current of up to 200 A at the input port of the inverter and results in complete shutdown of the tested inverter, which includes permanent short-circuiting of IGBTs in the inverter or several hours of shutdown.