Tag Archives: Photovoltaic

Flicker Trouble Ahead for Solar PV Inverters?

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Administrator

A small, slow-moving cloud will only affect a few panels at a time. The worst effect comes from large, fast-moving clouds that cover many panels nearly simultaneously, and then subsequently uncover them with the same speed. For these conditions, multiple inverters will respond to the same solar coverage effect, which results in the most severe levels of flicker. Continue reading →

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Integrating Solar PV Power with Existing Distribution Circuits; Part 2

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Administrator

(This Blog is a continuation of an ongoing series on integrating inverter-based solar photovoltaic generation with existing electric distribution circuits.  Link to Part 1) Solar PV (shorthand for photovoltaic) generation is growing in support and implementation in part because of a supportive … Continue reading →

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Harmonics Limit Amount of PV on a Distribution Circuit

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Administrator

Harmonics is a very specialized and not widely understood topic in the electric power field which can become a major issue when inverter-based photovoltaic (“PV”) generators, (popularly referred to as solar power), are added to existing distribution circuits.  This Blog … Continue reading →

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The Future of Transient Analysis is Bright

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Administrator

Yes, or at least, it’s brightening. We make this bold observation after attending the 2012 users’ group meeting for the PSCAD/EMTDC software, held March 27-20 at a little gem of a coastal town named Castelldefels in Spain.  About 60 participants (eyeball … Continue reading →

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Solar Photovoltaic Inverters and Ride-Through Capability

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Administrator

In study after study, we (Pterra) are encountering this seemingly mounting issue of ride-through capability in solar photovoltaic (“PV”) inverters. For now, the matter is isolated to frequency ride-through in small grids such as those that may be found in the Hawaiian islands. However, there is potential for this to be critical in even larger systems as the number of inverter-based PV arrays interconnecting to existing distribution and transmission systems increases. Continue reading →

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Can wind turbines and solar inverters contribute to frequency control?

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Administrator

Renewable energy resources such as solar and wind, produce power in a manner that generally does not contribute to frequency control of interconnected power systems. However, both wind turbines and solar inverters have the important characteristic of fast, programmable controls. The question then comes up: Is it possible for these power sources to participate in frequency control response of interconnections? Continue reading →

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Integrating Solar PV Power with Existing Distribution Circuits; Part 1

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Administrator

A wave of new solar photovoltaic (“PV”) installations for power generation is hitting many distribution circuits around the country.  These installations are typically in the range of 10-2000 kW and comprise of a set of solar PV arrays or trays … Continue reading →

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Transient Overvoltages in Wind Farms, and a Case Study

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Administrator

In various Blogs on this site, we have talked about unique technical issues associated with integrating wind farms into existing grids.  This Blog now addresses the matter of transient overvoltages, or TOV, specifically with respect to potential risks to customers … Continue reading →

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Transmission bases for sizing wind and solar projects

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Administrator

Unlike base load power plants such as nuclear and some coal plants which operate near full capacity for days at a time, solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind farms are variable resources whose output is dependent on the minute-by-minute change in … Continue reading →

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Report from the 2011 PSLF Users’ Group Meeting

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Administrator

by Ric Austria If only for this one new feature, the trip to attend the meeting (held April 28-29 in sunny Orlando, Florida) was worth it.  The new feature is … PSLF now allows “continuous” tap solutions for phase angle … Continue reading →

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