Beating Salt Mist: NEUTRON Coastal PV Protection Across the GCC

1. The coastal PV problem

Salt-laden air accelerates corrosion on metal surfaces and humidity changes leakage behaviour on the DC side. A plant a few kilometres from the shore ages very differently from an inland desert site.

2. Corrosion-class enclosures

• Combiner and switchgear enclosures specified to a corrosion class suited to salt mist.
• Coated metal parts and sealed gaskets to slow ingress.
• Cable glands and entry points sealed against humidity.
• Periodic inspection of gaskets and coatings in the maintenance plan.

3. Staged DC surge protection

NEUTRON applies a staged SPD scheme: each combiner carries a Type 2 DC SPD matched to the 1500 V envelope, while the plant interface carries coordinated protection. Staging stops a single surge event from stressing every device at once.

4. Combiner and DC protection

• PV combiner boxes rated to 1500 V DC with individual gPV fuse protection.
• DC disconnect switches for safe isolation.
• DC MCBs for auxiliary and monitoring circuits.

5. Verification

The SPD staging and protective earth are reviewed against the local lightning density and soil resistivity, and the enclosure class against the actual distance to the coast, not a generic assumption.

6. Outcome

The coastal-rated protection approach gives GCC seaside plants a durable first line of defence against both corrosion and surge. The lesson is that a seaside PV plant needs a different enclosure and SPD strategy than an inland one.