The maximum wind speed has reached level 17! Typhoon “Makar” landed, and Hainan’s photovoltaic power stations faced a huge test
Around 16:20 on September 6, the center of this year’s 11th typhoon “Makar” landed on the coast of Wenchang, Hainan Province. It was a super typhoon when it landed, with the maximum wind force near the center above level 17 (62 meters per second). According to the Central Meteorological Observatory, “Makar” has become the strongest autumn typhoon to land in my country. At present, most areas of Hainan Island have experienced heavy rainstorms, and some towns have experienced extremely heavy rainstorms. Some street greening trees have fallen. Some cities and counties on Hainan Island have experienced large-scale power outages.
According to videos on social media platforms, the landing of Typhoon Makar had a great impact on the Wenchang Photovoltaic Power Station in Hainan. The video shows that a large number of photovoltaic modules of a fishery photovoltaic complementary power station in Wenchang, Hainan were blown away, and the photovoltaic modules were scattered under the ravages of the typhoon, and some had been severely deformed, causing heavy losses to the entire power station.
Household photovoltaic power stations were also affected by the typhoon, and most of the photovoltaic modules were blown down.
An industry insider pointed out: “The wind resistance standard of the bracket depends on the amount of steel used. At present, most owners require a steel amount of about 40 tons, but in a low-cost environment, 32-34 tons are generally used. 40 tons of steel should be able to resist a wind of level 8. In places with extreme wind speeds, walls are generally built around to resist wind.”
It is understood that during the design stage, photovoltaic power stations must consider typhoon resistance to ensure that they can withstand at least a level 12 typhoon. Referring to international standards such as IEC 61215 and IEC 61730, national standards GB 50797 “Design Specifications for Photovoltaic Power Stations” and GB 50009 “Building Structure Load Specifications” are applicable to the bracket and foundation design of photovoltaic power stations. GB/T 50794 “Acceptance Specifications for Solar Photovoltaic Power Generation Projects” This specification applies to the construction and acceptance of solar photovoltaic power generation projects, and has clear requirements for construction quality and wind resistance. Combined with local meteorological data and building specifications, design a suitable photovoltaic system.
Judging from the situation of Capricorn this time, most photovoltaic power stations in Wenchang will be affected. According to past experience, the most direct impact of typhoon weather on photovoltaics is that it causes violent vibrations in the components. Each connection may become an attack point of the typhoon, causing the photovoltaic panels to fall off or be blown away. There may also be potential impacts, including internal cracks and short circuits.
According to inquiries, the last time a 17-level typhoon appeared was ten years ago. At 15:30 on July 18, 2014, the super typhoon “Wilmason” landed on the coast of Wengtian Town, Wenchang City, Hainan Province with a maximum wind force of 17 (wind speed 70 meters/second), becoming the strongest typhoon to land in my country since meteorological records.
In fact, Hainan has unique light resources in southern China, and because of its unique island geographical environment, Hainan’s traditional energy supply is relatively short, and it is becoming a hot spot for photovoltaic development. As of the first half of 2023, the cumulative photovoltaic grid-connected capacity reached 3.412 million kilowatts.
In recent years, Wenchang, Hainan has developed rapidly in a centralized manner, mainly in the form of fish-light complementation and agricultural-light complementation. The design capacity is mostly above 100MW, and the investment subjects are mostly central state-owned enterprises.
Before the typhoon came, many central enterprises deployed typhoon prevention work, formulated typhoon prevention work guarantee plans, and refined the division of job responsibilities. We must do a good job in research and analysis and early warning, keep a close eye on the development and changes of the typhoon, promptly assess the risk situation, promptly reinforce outdoor facilities, and check whether the bolts, fasteners, hooks, and clamps of photovoltaic modules are firm; check the strength and stability of photovoltaic brackets to ensure that the brackets can withstand the typhoon wind force; clean and dredge the drainage system and cable trenches to ensure smooth drainage, check for problems such as water accumulation and soaking in the foundations of major equipment on site, and use pumps to drain water in areas with accumulated water in a timely manner; carry out strict inspections of electrical equipment such as box transformers and inverters to ensure that the cabinet doors are locked in place to prevent rainwater from intruding; check the water level of fish ponds, fish pond dams, and roads in photovoltaic areas to prevent dam breaches in weak dams; reserve sufficient flood control materials to ensure that the defense work is foolproof.
We conducted a comprehensive and detailed inspection of wind turbines, box transformers, collector lines, booster stations and other equipment, and immediately rectified and corrected any defects, and resolutely prevented equipment from facing the wind with defects; we focused on checking the door and window locks in key areas such as the relay protection room and the central control room, ensuring that they were tightly closed and sealed with sandbags; we organized personnel to test run emergency equipment such as diesel generators, emergency flashlights, and water pumps to ensure that all types of flood control equipment were in normal use and that supplies were sufficient; at the same time, we conducted a comprehensive inspection of the reliability of the propeller transformer system, hydraulic system, UPS power supply, etc. The Gaopai wind power project planned and deployed in advance with a high sense of responsibility and mission, and went all out to do a good job in typhoon prevention.
In fact, when a typhoon hits, strong winds and heavy rains will cause different degrees of impact on photovoltaic modules. First, strong winds will affect the fixing system of photovoltaic modules, such as bracket structure and mounting bolts. If these fixing systems are not adequately designed and reinforced, the strong winds of the typhoon may cause the photovoltaic modules to fly away in whole or in part. Secondly, heavy rains will increase the moment of wind on photovoltaic modules, further increasing the risk of loss. In addition, strong winds will also cause vibration of photovoltaic modules, thereby accelerating the aging and damage of modules.
In order to reduce the risk of loss of photovoltaic modules, the following measures can be taken: 1. Design a reasonable bracket structure and fixing system to ensure that photovoltaic modules can withstand the impact of typhoons; 2. Strengthen the mounting bolts to enable them to withstand the impact of strong winds; 3. Use high-strength materials to make brackets and fixing systems to improve their wind resistance.
After natural disasters such as typhoons, photovoltaic modules are often covered with various pollutants, such as dust, leaves, mud and sand. These pollutants will affect the power generation efficiency of photovoltaic modules, and even cause local hot spots and breakdown, which will lead to damage to the modules. Therefore, in post-disaster maintenance, the photovoltaic modules should be cleaned up in time to restore their normal power generation efficiency.
At the same time, formulating a strict typhoon prevention plan is the key to ensure that the photovoltaic power station can effectively resist typhoon attacks. The typhoon prevention plan should include various preparations before the typhoon strikes, such as equipment inspection, preparation of backup power supply, personnel transfer, etc. In addition, it is necessary to clarify the division of responsibilities and emergency response measures to deal with various emergencies. For example, before the typhoon strikes, personnel should be organized to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the photovoltaic modules to ensure that they are intact. When a typhoon strikes, the photovoltaic power station should be shut down in time and necessary safety measures should be taken to prevent equipment damage and casualties.
Finally, we would like to remind you that after a storm, you may get an electric shock if you approach or touch the connection between the photovoltaic inverter and the solar panel and the power supply cable. Solar panels damaged by floods may have faults such as poor insulation, which may cause electric shock if touched. Be sure to avoid bare-handed contact or take anti-electric shock measures (such as using rubber gloves and rubber boots) to reduce the risk of electric shock and ensure personal and property safety.