PV Inverter testing according to standards

The laboratory operates the necessary equipment to perform tests on photovoltaic inverters according to standards. A PV Simulator by Regatron (3x TopCon Quadro Programmable DC Power Supply) features fully controllable and customizable voltage-current characteristics (V-I), and a Linear Amplifier/Grid Simulator by Spitzenberger & Spies (PAS 5000 – 4 Quadrant Linear Amplifier 5kVA) applies voltage (dips, introduction of harmonics etc) and frequency variations on the inverter. In this way a testing environment is created for the testing of both the direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) side of the inverter. By appropriately controlling the two simulators, the necessary conditions specified by the standards for PV inverter tests are represented. The tests that can be carried out in the laboratory are:

  • Static and Dynamic Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) (EN 50530).
  • EMC tests (IEC 61000-3-2, Harmonic measurements 0-100KHz, etc.).
  • Connection requirements (VDE-AR-N 4105).
  • Fault ride through (VDE 0126-1-1).
  • Anti-islanding Requirements (IEEE 1547.1).
The electrical quantities (voltage, current, power, etc.) during the tests can be measured accurately and analyzed with the use of a Yokogawa WT3000 Power Analyzer.
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Laboratory setup for performing tests on PV Inverters
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Test on PV Inverter: VDE 0126-1-1 standard