POWER QUALITY

PHOTOVOLTAIC INDUSTRY

Producer Challenges

  • Service cost, reliability and efficiency are the major producer challenges
  • Utilities demand proof of clean power to control power quality related wastage
  • Disturbances caused by frequent switching of inverters are cited by utilities as a main reason for limiting PV participation in the grid
  • Power disturbances on utility power lines cause the inverter to operate in a less efficient de-rating mode or even disconnect it from the grid
  • Frequent switching of inverters causes switching transients, resulting in sensitive controls electronic malfunction or burnout in other areas of the installation
  • PV power output can vary rapidly and needs to be monitored closely
  • Intermittent problems are difficult to track down and may not always be uncovered during a service call

Solutions

  • Engineering for power smart solar installation
  • Remote access, permanent AC/DC Monitoring, reporting on demand or automatically through email and web for power quality matrices
  • Proactive identification of under-performing panels, installation errors, and faulty connections
  • Fewer time consuming and expensive at PV installation
  • No more finger pointing between utility and the producer with clear proof of problem origin i.e. customer satisfaction at both ends
  • Our services to producer and to the utility companies pay for themselves in terms of energy savings and fewer maintenance costs

Utility Challenges

  • Annual cost of power quality related wastage in billions
  • Need to transition from fossil power to green energy and to cope with new energy landscape
  • Frequent switching of inverters causes harmonics, high frequency impulses, voltage sags, swells, interruptions and frequency variations at PCC
  • Limited PV participation in the grid due to power quality concerns for overall system
  • Need for proactive power quality monitoring and management for PV installation, integration into grid