Applications of solar photovoltaics in powering cathodic protection systems: a review

Corrosion is a phenomenon that occurs on pipes, reinforced concrete structures, and storage tanks and causes a major impact on the facility structures and can have a major impact on a facility’s structural integrity. This can result in a serious failure in the system and lead to substantial economic losses. One of the solutions widely used to eliminate the corrosion effects is by applying cathodic protection, which depends on direct current as the supply potential. The technique of cathodic protection is used to control corrosion in the utilisation of reinforced concrete structures, pipelines, storage tanks, etc. A photovoltaic cathodic protection system is normally used as an energy source to supply the system. This research reviews the technique utilised for applying solar photovoltaics in powering systems of cathodic protection. Subsequently, it highlights the methods of cathodic protection systems, sacrificial anode cathodic protection and the impressed current cathodic protection. Finally, it is indicated that applying solar photovoltaics in powering cathodic protection systems has great efficacy in controlling the corrosion in the facility’s equipment in a smarter, controlled way. Furthermore, this study provides significant insight into the designing and operating the domain of solar photovoltaic systems that power cathode protection systems.