Evaluation of German 3-phase solar PV inverter

This paper provides the test results for a solar photovoltaic (SPV) inverter designed to operate according to German standards. The testing was performed in Southern California Edison´s (SCE) Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Laboratory in Westminster, California. The primary reason for testing this inverter is to explore features not used in inverters must comply with U. S, standards. These features include the ability to: communicate, adjust ramp-up power rates, perform voltage ride-through, adjust power factor (PF) based on real power output, inject or absorb reactive power (vars) during voltage deviations, and reduce output real power during over-frequencies. The results detailed here provide information that can be used to develop national standards for advanced features. The test data can also be used for model development and validation to assess grid performance with a high penetration of inverters with these characteristics.