Potential arc fault detection and suppression

In an electrical circuit connecting a source of electrical power to a load using power conductors, a device for mitigating faults within the power conductors or due to poor terminal connections to the power conductors that could cause arcing, and preventing the arcing from occurring, comprising:

• redundant electrical conductors between said source of electrical power and said load, such that the go-and-return current between the source and the load flows through at least two substantially identical conductor paths and divides between the redundant paths in an expected ratio in the absence of a fault condition;
• a protection device which operates to mitigate a fault upon detecting that the division of current between the at least two substantially identical conductor paths has departed from said expected ratio.

An apparatus and arrangement for detecting and mitigating the effects of a wiring or connection fault in the DC photovoltaic output circuit connecting the power output of a solar array at a first location to a load at a second location using positive and negative power conductors, comprising:

• a photovoltaic combiner located near said first location for accepting the currents from the photovoltaic source circuits of at least one string of solar panels and delivering the combined currents from said at least one string to a photovoltaic output circuit, the combiner having automatic disconnection devices to disconnect the photovoltaic source circuits from said photovoltaic output circuit under the control of an electrical control signal or signals indicative of said wiring or connection fault;
• at least one additional conductor running in parallel with said positive and negative power conductors between said first location and said second location;
• a wiring fault detector connected to at least one of said positive and negative power conductors and to said at least one additional conductor, the wiring fault detector generating said electrical control signal or signals to disconnect the photovoltaic source circuits upon detecting said wiring or connection fault.