Brazil will require solar inverters to be equipped with AFCI from December
Solar inverters in Brazil must include arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI) from December 1, according to new regulations from Brazil's Inmetro.
According to reports, several dealers have begun selling inverters that do not meet the standards at low prices. This practice leads to unfair competition for companies that have updated their products and may cause uninformed customers to suffer losses when faced with mandatory protective devices and upcoming fire inspections after the implementation of the new regulations.
What is an AFCI?
AFCI: (Arc-Fault Circuit-Interrupter) is an arc fault interrupter. It is a protective device that disconnects the power circuit before the arc fault develops into a fire or a short circuit occurs in the circuit by identifying the characteristic signal of the arc fault in the circuit.
As a circuit protection device, the main function of AFCI is to prevent the fault arc from causing a fire, and it can effectively detect the loosening and poor contact of the DC loop screws. At the same time, it has the ability to detect and distinguish between the normal arc and the fault arc generated by the inverter when starting, stopping or switching, and cut off the circuit in time after the fault arc is found.
In addition, AFCI also has the following features: 1. It has effective DC arc recognition capability, allowing a maximum DC current of 60A; 2. It has a friendly interface, which can remotely control circuit breakers or connectors, etc.; 3. It has RS232 to 485 communication function, which can monitor the module status in real time; 4. LED and buzzer can be used to quickly identify the working status of the module, and sound and light alarm; 5. Functional modularization, easy to transplant to various series of products.
In terms of arc fault protection of photovoltaic systems, the role of photovoltaic clean energy is fully utilized, and special AFCIs for photovoltaic DC systems are developed specifically, involving series DC arc fault protection of photovoltaic inverters and combiner boxes and photovoltaic battery modules. To meet the new requirements of smart grids for switchgear, the communication and networking of AFCIs, and the intelligentization and communication and networking of bus technologies involved will play a greater role. In terms of AFCI product serialization and standardization, the serialization and standardization of AFCIs, as well as modularization of accessories, will greatly increase their application scope in terminal power distribution.
Consequences Of Non-compliance
Failure to comply with the new standard could have serious consequences. For installations that require fire department permits, such as large power stations, businesses and industries, the lack of AFCIs may result in a failed inspection and the inability to renew the fire department inspection report (AVCB) or certificate of conformity (CERCON).
Consumers who purchase equipment without AFCI protection may face additional modification fees when the system is inspected.
Certification test results for AFCI inverters show that there is still work to be done. According to Riccardo J.F. Bortolini, technical advisor at INRI, a laboratory in Brazil found that only 18% of products passed the initial test, and 64% passed after adjustments. He stressed the importance of equipment certification, Inmetro laboratory certification, and local inspections.
