Do Solar Panels Attract Lightning? Protecting Rooftop and Ground-Mount Arrays

No, solar panels don’t attract lightning. The National Weather Service says height, a pointed shape and isolation are what decide where lightning strikes, and that the presence of metal makes no difference. A low array on a roof doesn’t change the building’s odds of being hit in any meaningful way.

That’s the short answer. The useful answer is that solar panels can still be damaged by lightning, both by direct strikes and by surges from strikes nearby, and adding an array to a roof changes what a lightning protection system has to cover. NFPA 780, the US installation standard, has a whole chapter on it.

Why the “attracts lightning” worry comes up

People see a large metal-and-glass surface wired into the house and assume it’s a target. The NWS myth page addresses this directly: metal doesn’t draw strikes. What draws strikes is being the tallest, most pointed and most isolated object around.

Where that does matter for solar:

• Pole-mounted and tracker arrays in open fields can be the tallest thing in a pasture.
• Ground mounts on ranches, well sites and industrial yards are often in open, exposed ground.
• Rooftop arrays on tall or isolated buildings sit on a building that was already a likely strike point.

In each case the risk comes from the setting, not from the panels.

How lightning damages solar systems

There are two ways.

Direct strikes. A strike to a module, rack or the roof right next to the array can shatter glass, burn wiring, and send current through the racking and DC conductors into the inverter and the house wiring.

Nearby strikes and induced surges. This is the more common problem. A strike to a tree, pole or the ground near the array can induce surges on the long runs of DC wiring. Research published in the journal Energies (MDPI) examined how lightning surges break down the bypass diodes inside PV modules. Those diodes are small and, once damaged, the module underperforms or develops hot spots. Inverters and charge controllers are also exposed.

What NFPA 780 says about solar arrays

NFPA 780 added a chapter on solar arrays in its 2014 edition. In the 2023 edition, solar arrays are listed in the scope (Section 1.1.1) and covered in Chapter 12, Protection for Solar Arrays, which has sections on:

• General requirements
• Fundamental principles of protection
• Strike termination devices
• Protection of electrical and mechanical systems (12.4)
• Grounding

The standard also includes an informational annex, a guide to international standards for selecting surge protective devices on PV installations, and it defines terms like “solar array” and “solar panel” in Chapter 3. Chapter numbers can change between editions, so check the current edition before relying on a section number.

Penn State’s commercial solar course summarizes the relationship: a lightning protection system is a low-impedance network of air terminals connected to a dedicated grounding electrode system, and it’s covered far more extensively in NFPA 780 than in the electrical code’s grounding article. The NEC (Article 690) handles PV system grounding and bonding; NFPA 780 handles lightning.

Adding solar to a roof that already has lightning protection

This is a common situation, and it’s where things tend to go wrong.

A roof with a lightning protection system was designed around what was on the roof at the time. When an installer adds an array:

• Air terminals may now be blocked, removed or shadowed. Terminals that sit where racking needs to go can end up moved or left out.
• The array may sit outside the existing zone of protection. Panels and racking become new rooftop objects the original design never considered.
• Bonding changes. The racking and the PV grounding system are new metal that may need to be bonded to the lightning protection system, or kept separated, depending on the design.
• New conductors enter the building. DC and AC circuits are new paths for surges into the house.

There’s a paperwork angle too. UL’s program brochure says a Master Label certificate expires early if the structure’s electrical systems, the roofing, or the lightning protection system is modified. A solar install usually touches all three.

The practical rule: get the lightning protection system re-inspected and updated whenever an array goes on the roof. Better yet, bring the lightning protection contractor in before the solar layout is final, so terminals and conductors can be planned around the panels. Our article on when to have your system re-inspected covers other triggers.

Ground-mount arrays on rural and industrial sites

Ground mounts don’t sit on a building, but they still need thought, especially on open land:

• Grounding and bonding of the racking per the electrical code and the array design.
• Surge protection on the DC and AC sides, at the array and where the circuits enter the building or equipment they feed.
• Strike termination where a risk assessment or the owner’s specification calls for it, following NFPA 780 Chapter 12.
• Separation from other site hazards. On oil and gas sites, arrays powering remote equipment sit near tanks and wellheads that have their own protection needs. See our oil and gas lightning protection page.

Surge protection alone isn’t the whole answer

Solar installers often say “we include surge protection” and leave it there. Surge devices handle the surges that come in on wiring. They don’t give a direct strike a path to ground, and they don’t stop a side flash from the racking to nearby metal. A complete approach is a lightning protection system for the building (and array, where warranted) plus surge protection on the PV circuits. We explain what surge devices can and can’t do in do surge protectors protect your home from lightning?

Quick checklist before and after a solar install

When	What to check
Before the layout is final	Does the roof have a lightning protection system? Share its drawings with the solar designer.
During design	Which air terminals and conductors are affected? Where will array racking bond in, or stay separated?
During install	Are terminals and conductors left intact or relocated, not removed?
After install	Re-inspect the lightning protection system; confirm surge protection on PV circuits.
After any strike nearby	Check inverter logs and production for drops; have the system and the array inspected.

Talk to us before the panels go up

If you’re adding solar to a home or building that already has lightning protection, or you want protection for a new array, contact Site Safe Lightning Protection. We can review the roof layout with you and your solar installer. See our residential lightning protection services or get in touch.