PV Inverter Performance Data and Model (WP3)

Tom Betts

PV inverter datasheets provide information on performance only at a limited range of stable operating conditions. International standards expand on this slightly to include inverter response to varying input power curves over a range of repeated frequencies. This deliverable works to close the remaining gap between lab-based characterisation of PV inverters and their true outdoor operation. A more realistic test sequence is being developed, to include observed ramp rates in PV power input and realistic transition from one set of conditions to another – a crucial addition, since inverter maximum power point tracking can be affected by input power curve history.

Objectives

• Design a modified test sequence of PV power curve inputs that truly represent field operation
• Deploy this to an inverter test station based on a PV array emulator
• Run the standard and improve tests on a number of commercially available PV inverters
• Develop an example model that can make use of such data for PV system yield calculation

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