Technical principles of photovoltaic inverters

How intelligent is a PV inverter system?

Although various intelligent technologies have been used in a PV inverter system, the intelligence of the whole system is still at a rather low level. The intelligent methods are mainly utilized together with the traditional controllers to improve the system control speed and reliability.

Should PV inverters be integrated with other embedded energy systems?

When used as a component of “smart” systems, PV inverters should be adaptably integrated with other embedded energy systems, such as batteries, wind turbines, and electric vehicles, where the need for communication may raise the overall cost and necessitate the use of low-cost communication technologies.

What is the control performance of PV inverters?

The control performance of PV inverters determines the system’s stability and reliability. Conventional control is the foundation for intelligent optimization of grid-connected PV systems. Therefore, a brief overview of these typical controls should be given to lay the theoretical foundation of further contents.

How can a PV inverter be used in a utility system?

Integrate PV inverters into utility supervisory control and data acquisition systems or AMI systems. Inverters could be tied into utility communications systems, which would issue a warning to inverters in sections of the utility isolated from the mains. Any available channel, such as BPL, DSL, or coax, could be used.

How are PV inverter topologies classified?

The PV inverter topologies are classified based on their connection or arrangement of PV modules as PV system architectures shown in Fig. 3. In the literature, different types of grid-connected PV inverter topologies are available, both single-phase and three-phase, which are as follows:

What are grid-interactive solar PV inverters?

Grid-interactive solar PV inverters must satisfy the technical requirements of PV energy penetration posed by various country's rules and guidelines. Grid-connected PV systems enable consumers to contribute unused or excess electricity to the utility grid while using less power from the grid.