[RE-wrenches] Static shock

[Larry Crutcher, Starlight Solar Power Systems]

Hello Jay,

I'm in Yuma, Az where humidity is often under 5% and static discharge is a severe pain in the….finger. Curious person that I am, I once measured the distance of a static arc to estimate the voltage being generated from my lamb skin slippers sliding on carpet. My best guess is it was above 20kV.  

So, he may be experiencing quite a static shock but his mind is relating it to the PV solar gear. A simple test is to hold onto the wire after the initial discharge. If the shock stops, it was static discharge.

Thank you,

Larry Crutcher




On Jan 24, 2014, at 6:56 PM, jay peltz <jay at asis.com> wrote:

Hi all,

Here is a new question. 
I believe it's static electricity. 

System:  standalone 2 x 44voc  165 watt modules in parallel
Powering a pump sq flex( yea installer didn't do it right) dry ground. 
No batteries or any other power in the area, no LCB or other electronics. 
Pole mount, dpw in concrete with galvy pole
Wires are not attached to pole/ rack in any way
It's been very low humidity 5-10%, with 10-20 mph wind
No rain totally dry

Here is what happened. 
Person with one hand touched pole and and other hand touched the USE-2 insulated wire from the modules, got way shocked. Checked the wire no cracks etc and again 44voc max

Happened a second time, but this time his sleeve brushed the pole while he was moving the wires, again shocked. 

Again, I think it's static as I have no other explanation. This kind of weather is unknown where I live. I now live in a true desert vs a rain forest and never moved. 

Thoughts?

Thanks

Jay

Peltz power