Performance and Conformance Analysis of a Commercial Scale PV Inverter

Abstract

Renewable energy has been in the spotlight of most jurisdictions around the world. Among the sources of renewable energy, solar energy is one of the most commonly adopted in small to medium-scale installations, such as those in residential and commercial applications. With recent technical interconnection requirements for smart inverters standardized since 2016, there is an expectation that hosting capacity will be expanded. With the anticipated proliferation of solar generators, it has become imperative to understand their impact so that accommodating measures, if required, can be employed. Researchers and utility engineers have devoted efforts in understanding all facets in integrating these resources. This paper presents measurements and performance and conformance analysis of a commercial scale solar inverter. Currently, this inverter is in operation in the soon-to-be-completed microgrid laboratory constructed by a Canadian electrical utility. This research suggests that, despite their power electronics topologies and sophisticated switching control, these inverters are expected to have very small negative impact on the distribution system voltage supply characteristics.