On Grid PV Inverters: general Overview

11th January 2016

Intruducing the Speaker

- Study of electrical engineering

- focus: power electronic and drives

- PV experience > 15 years

- 6 years with KACO new energy

- consultant on PV systems

KACO new energy on grid PV Inverters: Overview January 2016 | 2

Contents

Contents
 Inverting DC to AC different topologies
 Optimising DC: MPP trackers
 Optimising AC: functions to support the grid
 Optimising Information: Basic Monitoring

KACO new energy on grid PV Inverters: Overview January 2016 | 3

 Inverting DC to AC; different topologies

Overview: on grid PV Plant

Solar array

Electrical loads All PV Modules

e.g. lights, TV

Grid connection box

Connnection to the
public grid

Inverter

Meters Converts DC
Power from the
For export and import of
modules to AC
energy
power to feed
into the grid

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 Inverting DC to AC; different topologies

Basic Inverter Principle

PLUS
Vi (Input Voltage)
PLUS

DC Voltage
VO = +Vi
MINUS
Alternating Voltage

MINUS

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 Inverting DC to AC; different topologies

Basic Inverter Principle

PLUS
Vi (Input Voltage)
MINUS

DC Voltage
VO = -Vi
MINUS
Alternating Voltage

PLUS

KACO new energy on grid PV Inverters: Overview January 2016 | 6

 Inverting DC to AC; different topologies

Basic Inverter Principle

Vi (Input Voltage)

DC Voltage
Vre(rectangular- Vo(almost sine-
voltage) wave)
AC- voltage AC- voltage

f = 0 Hz f = 17 000 Hz f= 50 Hz

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 Most simple principle

Inverter Topologies

Example: blueplanet 1000 TL3

Most simple principle
Without transformer, without DC/DC booster
= (single phase for small power, threephase for large
power)

advantages:
good price, good efficiency
~
~ relyable cause of small number of components

disadvantage:
low flexibility
(there is a minimum input DC level, depending on AC
output voltage)

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 Tranformerless with DC/DC Booster

Inverter Topologies

Example: 60.0 TL3; 4.6 TL1

„state of the art“ principle

= (both single- and threephase)
= without transformer, with DC/DC booster
=
advantages:
high efficiency, moderate price, high flexibility
= depending on design details (of the inverter)
~
~ more than one MPP tracker possible

= disadvantages:
higher price and weight than
transformerless without DC/DC booster

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 Other topologies

Other topologies

Topologies with transformer (meanwhile only seldom used)

Topoligies with modification in the main bridge

(two, three, five level topologies)

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Contents

Contents
 Inverting DC to AC different topologies
 Optimising DC: MPP trackers
 Optimising AC: functions to support the grid
 Optimising Information: Basic Monitoring

KACO new energy on grid PV Inverters: Overview January 2016 | 11

 PV Curves

Solar module current - voltage curves

Kurzschlussstrom
Module current in Amps

Module Power in Watts

Leerlaufspannung

Module Voltage in Volts

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 PV Curves

Solar module current - voltage curves

compare with „ideal voltage source“

Kurzschlussstrom
Module current in Amps

Module Power in Watts

Leerlaufspannung

Module Voltage in Volts

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 PV Curves

Solar module current - voltage curves

compare with „real voltage source“

Kurzschlussstrom
Module current in Amps

Module Power in Watts

Leerlaufspannung

Module Voltage in Volts

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 PV Curves

Solar module current - voltage curve

- different working points -

The real operating

point
Kurzschlussstrom (current and
Module current in Amps

voltage)

Module Power in Watts

is defined by the
INVERTER
E.g.:
Short-circuit
MPP , no-load or
any point in
between

Leerlaufspannung

Module Voltage in Volts

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PV Curves

Solar module current - voltage curve

- depending on radiation

10
Module current in Amps

E= 1000 W/m²
08
E= 800 W/m²
06
E= 600 W/m²
04
E= 400 W/m²
02
E= 200 W/m²
00
10 20 1530 40

Module Voltage in Volts MPP Range

The correlation between irradiation and current is almost linear

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 PV Curves

Solar module current - voltage curve

- depending on temperature
ϑ = 75°C
10
ϑ = 50°C
Modulcurrent in Amps

08
ϑ = 25°C

06 ϑ = 0°C

ϑ = -75°C
04
The dependency of
02 voltage from
temperature is described
using TK e.g.: -0.4 %/K
10 20 30 40
Modulvoltage in Volts UMPP Range

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Contents

Contents
 Inverting DC to AC different topologies
 Optimising DC: MPP trackers
 Optimising AC: functions to support the grid
 Optimising Information: Basic Monitoring

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Inverter supports the grid

Grid optimising by PV inverters

The grid-voltage is defined by

the grid (-company)

Current phase shift

the current is defined by the inverter !
It can be changed in amplitude and timing,
Current amplitude

resulting in different cos phi, reactive power.

Sometimes even reactive power without real
power

possible phase shift

The „quality of grid“ is not decreased but increased by the usage of PV inverters !

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Inverter supports the grid

Typical „country“ settings ( grid settings)

 shutdown limits (u>; u>>; u<; u<<; f<;f>; grid impedance; [PV iso])
 cos phi settings ( reactive power)
- fixed cos phi
- cos phi (p)
- sin phi, tan phi, with or without hysteresis
- Q(U)
- remote controlled reactive power
- fault ride through
 power limitations ( real power)
- P(f) reduction by characteristic curve
- absolut P limitation
- remote P limitation
- P limitation depending on load (feed in limitation)
- ramp up limitations
- remote limitations

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Contents

Contents
 Inverting DC to AC different topologies
 Optimising DC: MPP trackers
 Optimising AC: functions to support the grid
 Optimising Information: Basic Monitoring

KACO new energy on grid PV Inverters: Overview January 2016 | 21

Optimising information: integrated monitoring

Use the „brain“ of the inverter

 inverters normally have „on board“:
- 2-3 processors
- lots of integrated measurement tools
- plenty of memory
- some communication interfaces

most of this devices are necessary for the internal control functions
but can be used for additional purposes sumarized as
 „monitoring functions“: (Basic)
- logging of internal data (power, yield, currents, voltages, temperatures
- local and remote access
 monitoring functions „advanced“
- automated alarms ( e.g. comparism of MPP Trackers)
- logging of inverter- external values ( external sensors needed)

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After the

Break

we continue with
KACO solutions
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