Photovoltaic fire incidents are occurring frequently, and the associated risks cannot be ignored.

With the growth of the photovoltaic industry, the scale of solar power plants continues to expand, bringing with it heightened fire risks. Incidents involving fires at distributed‑generation photovoltaic systems are becoming increasingly frequent, drawing widespread attention.

Component-Level Smart Controller: Peace of Mind for Safety

In response to the current challenges facing conventional distributed photovoltaic systems—such as safety risks, the inability to achieve module-level shutdown, and difficulties in operation and maintenance—Suzhou Tongtai New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Tongtai”) has launched a module-level smart controller that fundamentally enhances the safety of photovoltaic systems. This solution boasts the following key features:

Component-level rapid shutdown and fast response

• In the event of an emergency, regulations require that the photovoltaic system’s voltage be reduced to a safe level within 30 seconds; Tongtai products can achieve shutdown in under 10 seconds, ensuring the safety of firefighters and maintenance personnel.

• Supports multiple shutdown modes and multi-layered protection to ensure power plant safety.

Security Protection

Tongtai’s module-level smart controllers have established a comprehensive, full‑lifecycle security protection system, providing robust safety assurance throughout every stage—before installation, during the installation and commissioning phase, and across all phases of power plant operation.

• The component is fully de-energized throughout manufacturing, transportation, and on-site installation, ensuring safety.

• The cloud platform controls the grid‑connection process, preventing mismatches in string quantities across the power plant and reverse current backflow between different modules and strings, thereby avoiding breakdowns prior to grid connection.

• Protection against overvoltage, overheating, reverse current, and other faults; automatic shutdown upon module malfunction to ensure safe power generation.

Backflow monitoring to ensure power plant safety.

Application Background: Voltage differences arising during the installation and operation of photovoltaic modules—due to factors such as the number of modules deployed and shading—and reverse current flow between string circuits can lead to abnormal power generation and serious incidents, including fires.

Tongtai’s module-level smart controller also supports real-time monitoring of reverse current, enabling early detection and prevention of current backflow by disconnecting the reverse‑current path, thereby averting abnormal incidents and ensuring the safe operation of solar photovoltaic systems. It is compatible with anti‑reverse‑current protection between modules and strings and can automatically resume power generation once normal current flow is restored.

During anti-backflow monitoring and control, Tongtai’s controllers enable fully automated system operation without manual intervention, significantly reducing power plant maintenance costs.

Component-level monitoring, control, and operations & maintenance

• Real-time monitoring of module voltage, current, and temperature; precise assessment of module power generation; intelligent diagnosis and analysis of faulty modules, along with early warning and fault localization.

Wireless communication, flexible deployment

• Multi-mode integrated wireless networking with flexible deployment; large system capacity, fast response, and reliable communication.

Power generation assurance

• Ultra-low-power design, low-carbon and environmentally friendly; automatic rejection of faulty components ensures reliable power generation.

Smart Energy Management Platform: Fine-Grained Intelligent Operations and Maintenance

The Tongtai Smart Energy Management Platform adopts a “1+N” architecture: one central management platform integrates a diverse portfolio of smart products—such as module‑level smart controllers, optimizers, and microinverters—enabling unified management and centralized operations for photovoltaic power plants. This end‑to‑end solution covers the entire lifecycle, from installation and management to monitoring, early warning, analytics, and remediation.