Regular Paper : Reduction of Heat Generation from Junction Box in 3 kW Photovoltaic Power Generation System

A junction box used in a 3 kW photovoltaic power generation system plays a role in collecting and supplying the direct current voltage produced by photovoltaic modules to an inverter. It is also used for facilitating maintenance checks and protecting the module and inverter by keeping the voltage constant. As for the junction box, using it in a parallel connection creates a difference between the setup modules. In order to compensate, an inverse voltage diode is used. But the high-power created through the solar generator can be delivered to the inverter through the inverter regularly. Therefore, a component can break down due to excess heat. And consequently short circuits and electric leakage occurs. In this study, using a junction box that enabled the bypass of high electric power, it was possible to reduce heat generation by approximately 35℃ when compared to a standard junction box.