Lightning and surge protection specialist DEHN Africa was recently involved in an extensive project to provide rooftop solar power to one of South Africa’s largest poultry farms, Chubby Chick, in Potchefstroom. All parties involved worked closely together from design to commissioning, ensuring the installation was comprehensively protected from lightning effects during its lifetime.

Chubby Chick provides fresh and frozen whole chickens to the local retail and wholesale markets, supplying meat to, among others, Woolworths and OBC Chicken and Meat Butchery, and the latter company assists in helping small communities with the supply of meat.

DEHN Africa managing director, Hano Oelofse, explains, “Because solar power provides consistent, affordable and clean energy over a 25-year lifetime, it is not surprising that more and more commercial and industrial properties are investing in solar energy by installing solar panels on their buildings, as Chubby Chick set out to do, in addition to the larger free-field solar farms themselves. DEHN’s extensive product and service range within the renewables segment can be applied across the solar photovoltaic (PV), thermal solar, wind energy and hydro-generation areas.

“This renewable energy trend offers an exciting view of where the future of the energy sector is headed, both globally as well as locally. Solar energy can, quite literally, be made available to all.”

“At the same time,” he cautions, “we must remember that vast tracts of South Africa are regions of high lightning ground flash density, and just like any other part of your commercial property, your solar panels must be protected from the possible destructive effects of lightning. While the costs of solar energy are coming down compared to where we were some years ago, it remains a fact that a solar PV installation can be a high investment outlay. The costs of replacing expensive parts while the solar PV system is still in the process of ‘paying for itself’ because the installation has not been protected from a potential lightning strike – or not protected properly – can be prohibitive.

“Therefore, at DEHN Africa we recommend that a lightning protection system (LPS) be included in your commercial solar installation from the actual design stage. Certainly, an LPS can be retrofitted, but it is better to have it forming part of the design of your commercial PV installation from the very beginning of the process.”

This is exactly how the Chubby Chick renewable energy project was unfolded, with the project following a model partnership process. DEHN Africa carried out the LPS designs and recommendations, and signed off the installation as correct and completed for the customer.

“Motla Consulting Engineers, a leading engineering consultant and EPCM (engineering, procurement, construction and management company) was appoined by Chubby Chick to design and install a solar PV system in order to reduce their energy bill,” clarifies Oelofse. “We worked with Motla Consulting Engineers on the design of the LPS on their solar energy planning. Motla Consulting Engineers, together with their installation partner, Einstein Electrical, constructed and installed the solar system and contracted Rolling Sphere Lightning Protection (RSLP) to carry out the external lightning protection and earthing installation. according to our designs and recommendations. DEHN Africa then signed off the LPS as a correct and completed installation for the customer.”

Because of the scale of the premises, which have a large roof area, it was necessary to protect the facility, and its comprehensive electronics system, from direct lightning as well as possible surges from nearby strikes. As with free-field solar farms, lightning strikes to rooftop solar panels will cause damage at the strike point, as well as surge damage to any equipment that is connected downstream. External lightning protection helps avoid damage at the strike point itself, while surge protection devices assist in the prevention of downstream damage from strike-related surges, thereby also allowing the renewable energy system to stay online.

“This project was noteworthy due to its overall complexity as well as the collaboration that took place between the different companies involved. Multiple buildings were involved and there was also an extensive communications system to protect. Other challenges included the size of the area being protected; the size of the electrical system, and the fact that the mounting of the air termination rods had to be adapted during installation, which was overcome through collaboration with DEHN Africa, Motla Consulting Engineers, Einstein Electrical and RSLP.

“The client was extremely happy with the outcome. Chubby Chick now has solar panels powering its industrial processing plant, making it greener, reducing its power consumption, decreasing its carbon footprint and saving costs over the longer term,” concludes Oelofse.