Photovoltaic power station inverter disconnected from the grid

Why does my PV system disconnect from the grid?

For obvious safety reasons my residential PV system disconnects from the grid if it notes the grid is down. The thing is it also shuts itself off so that during a grid blackout rather than providing me power but detaching from the grid the inverter disconnects itself from both the grid and the panels leaving me without power.

Do grid-connected PV inverters need a backup?

Grid-connected PV inverters need to synchronize their output with the utility and be able to disconnect the solar system if the grid goes down. (1) A system that is designed to supplement grid power and not replace it at any time does not need backup, so installation is simplified.

Can grid-connected PV inverters improve utility grid stability?

Grid-connected PV inverters have traditionally been thought as active power sources with an emphasis on maximizing power extraction from the PV modules. While maximizing power transfer remains a top priority, utility grid stability is now widely acknowledged to benefit from several auxiliary services that grid-connected PV inverters may offer.

How do grid-following inverters work?

Traditional “grid-following” inverters require an outside signal from the electrical grid to determine when the switching will occur in order to produce a sine wave that can be injected into the power grid. In these systems, the power from the grid provides a signal that the inverter tries to match.

Why do solar panels have to be disconnected from the grid?

During utility power outages, a simple grid-tie solar PV system is required to auto-disconnect from the grid for safety. One cannot utilize power from the PV system while disconnected from the grid (or battery backup), because "the excess current needs somewhere to go." Therefore the panels are disconnected from the inverter as well.

How does a grid-connected PV system work?

In addition, the utility company can produce power from solar farms and send power to the grid directly. Grid-connected PV systems can be set up with or without a battery backup. The simplest grid-connected PV system does not use battery backup but offers a way to supplement some fraction of the utility power.