Solar photovoltaic power generation grid access procedures

What is a solar energy grid integration system?

Develop solar energy grid integration systems (see Figure below) that incorporate advanced integrated inverter/controllers, storage, and energy management systems that can support communication protocols used by energy management and utility distribution level systems.

Are PV systems compatible with the utility grid?

Interest in PV systems is increasing and the installation of large PV systems or large groups of PV systems that are interactive with the utility grid is accelerating, so the compatibility of higher levels of distributed generation needs to be ensured and the grid infrastructure protected.

How do PV systems affect the utility grid?

The variability and nondispatchability of today’s PV systems affect the stability of the utility grid and the economics of the PV and energy distribution systems. Integration issues need to be addressed from the distributed PV system side and from the utility side.

Can a PV system be controlled by a grid operator?

No information is available for most plants whether the PV systems can be controlled by the grid operator (reactive power provision, peak shaving etc.) and whether self-consumption does apply or not to the installation. PV is, of course, not the only DER with growing penetrations in the grid.

How do off-grid solar power systems work?

Solar power cannot be conserved this way for later use, so the off-grid PV power system usually includes an energy storage subsystem to keep some of that unused power for later low-light conditions. When the storage is full the PV power conversion is throttled back and available energy is discarded.

How can solar PV be adapted to off-grid applications?

Thanks to its modular and distributed nature, solar PV can be adapted to a wide range of off-grid applications and to local conditions, ranging from lanterns to household systems to village-powering mini-grids.