Removing barriers to utility interconnected photovoltaic inverters

The Million Solar Roofs Initiative has motivated a renewed interest in the development of utility interconnected photovoltaic (UIPV) inverters. Government-sponsored programs (PVMaT, PV:BONUS) and competition among utility interconnected inverter manufacturers have stimulated innovations and improved the performance of existing technologies. With resurgence, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) developed a program to assist industry initiatives overcome barriers to UIPV inverters. In accordance with newly adopted IEEE Std 929-2000, the interconnected PV inverters are to energizing the utility grid when disturbance occurs or the utility experiences an interruption in service. Compliance with IEEE Std 929-2000 is being widely adopted by utilities as a minimum requirement for utility interconnection. This report summarizes work done at the SNL balance-of-systems laboratory to support the development of IEEE Std 929-2000 and to assist manufacturers in meeting its requirements.