Electrical safety
Do I need surge protection (SPD) for solar in South Africa?
In lightning-prone South Africa, surge protective devices (SPDs) are a consumer-protection essential on serious solar quotes — not a nice-to-have upsell. Ask where Type 1 / Type 2 devices sit on the AC board and on the DC PV side, and whether bonding of array frames is included. Skipping SPDs to “win” on price is how inverters die in the first storm season.
What to demand on the quote
- SPD make/model and Type class (1, 2 or combined).
- AC SPD at the DB feeding the inverter.
- DC SPD in the PV isolator / combiner path when the roof run warrants it.
- Short, correct earth connections for the SPD itself.
European installer guides (UK BS 7671 SPD practice; German residential retrofit notes) stress the same pattern Sonepar-style training covers for PV and wallboxes: protect at the origin, add near equipment when cable runs are long. SA’s lightning density makes this more urgent, not less.
Related answers
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