Islanding

Detection
Methods
SUBTITLE
Islanding Detection Methods

▪ These can be classified into passive methods, which look for

events on the grid, and active methods, testing the network
from the inverter or the grid distribution point. There are
also methods that the utility can use to detect the conditions
that would deliberately upset those conditions in order to
power down the inverters. These methods are summarized
below.
Passive and Active Methods

▪ Passive methods include any system that detects anomalies

to usual network condition, indicating the need to disconnect.
▪ Active methods attempt to detect a network failure by
injecting small signals into the line, and then detecting
whether or not the signal reading changes.
Under/Over Voltage

▪ Under/over voltage detection is normally simple to implement

in mains connected inverters, because the basic function of
the inverter is to mimic the grid conditions, including voltage.
That means that all mains connected inverters have the
hardware required to detect the changes. All that is needed is
a program to detect sudden changes. However, sudden
changes in voltage are common on the grid as high loads are
attached and removed, so a limit must be used to avoid
nuisance tripping.
Under/Over Frequency

▪ The frequency of the power to the grid is critical to the

functionality of any mains powered devices, as all inductive
loads are calibrated to run at a nominal frequency of 50
Hertz.
▪ Over and under frequency conditions can cause circulating
overcurrent faults between sources of supply, leading to
equipment damage and injury from overheating and possible
fires.
▪ Unlike variations in voltage, it is unlikely that a random
circuit would have a frequency the same as the grid. Most
modern generating devices and inverters sync to the network
frequency.
Rate of Change of Frequency

Rate of change of frequency is given by the following expression:

where:
f is the system frequency,
t is the time,
∆P is the power imbalance,
G is the system capacity, and
H is the system inertia.
If the rate of change of frequency, or ROCOF value, becomes greater
than a certain value, the embedded generation will disconnect from
the network.
Voltage Phase Jump Detection

▪ Loads generally have power factors that are lagging, meaning

that they do not accept the voltage from the grid perfectly,
but impede it slightly. Grid-tie inverters are usually set to
have power factors of unity. This will change in phase when
the network fails, which we can use to detect islanding.
▪ Inverters track the phase of the grid by tracking when the
signal crosses zero volts, varying the current output to the
circuit to produce the proper voltage waveform. When the
grid disconnects, the power factor suddenly shifts from the
grid’s unity compared to the load’s not quite unity. As the
circuit is still driving a current that would produce a smooth
voltage output given the known loads, this will result in a
sudden change in voltage. By the time the waveform is
completed and returns to zero, it will be out of phase.
Harmonics Detection

▪ Even with noisy sources, the total harmonic distortion (THD)

of a grid-tied circuit is generally immeasurable due to the
practically infinite capacity of the grid that filters these
events out. Inverters though, generally have much larger
distortions, as much as 5% THD. This is due to their
construction; some THD is a side-effect of the switched-mode
power supply circuits most inverters are based on.
▪ So when the grid disconnects, the THD of the local circuit will
increase to that of the inverters themselves. This provides a
very secure method of detecting islanding, because there are
generally no other sources of THD that would equal the
inverter. Also, interactions within the inverters, notably the
transformers, have non-linear effects that produce unique
2nd and 3rd harmonics that are easily measured.
Negative-Sequence Current Injection

▪ This is an active islanding detection method which can be

used by three-phase inverters. The method is based on
injecting a negative-sequence current and detecting and
quantifying the corresponding negative-sequence voltage at
the point of common coupling. The negative-sequence current
injection method:
▪ detects an islanding event within 60 ms (3 cycles)
▪ requires 2% to 3% negative-sequence current injection for
islanding detection;
▪ can correctly detect an islanding event for the grid short circuit
ratio of 2 or higher
Impedance Measurement

▪ Impedance Measurement measures the overall impedance of the

circuit being fed by the inverter. It does this by slightly increasing
the current amplitude, presenting too much current at a given
time. Usually this would have no effect on the measured voltage, as
the extra current is soaked up by the grid. In the event of a
disconnection, even the small increase would result in a noticeable
rise in voltage, allowing detection of the island.
▪ The main advantage of this method is that it has a very small NDZ
for any given single inverter. However, in the case of multiple
inverters, each one would be increasing a slightly different signal
into the line, hiding the effects on any one inverter. It is possible to
address this problem by communication between the inverters to
ensure they all increase on the same schedule.
Slip Mode Frequency Shift

▪ This is one of the newest methods of islanding detection. It is based

on changing the phase of the inverter’s output to be slightly mis-
aligned with the grid, with the expectation that the grid will
overwhelm this signal. The system relies on the actions of a finely
tuned phase-locked loop to become unstable when the grid does not
overwhelm the signal; in this case, the PLL attempts to adjust the
signal back to itself, which is programmed to continue to drift. In
the case of grid loss, the system will drift away from the design
frequency, causing the inverter to shut down.
▪ The good thing is that it can be done using existing hardware that
is already in the inverter. The disadvantage is that it needs the
inverter to always be slightly out of sync with the grid, a lowered
power factor. Generally speaking, the system has a very small NDZ
and will quickly disconnect.
Frequency Bias

▪ Frequency bias produces a slightly off-frequency signal into

the grid, but resets this at the end of every cycle by jumping
back into phase when the voltage passes zero. This is similar
to Slip Mode, but the power factor remains closer to the grid,
and resets itself every cycle. Moreover, the signal is less likely
to be filtered out.
▪ There are numerous variations to this basic scheme. The
Frequency Jump version, also known as the “zebra method”,
inserts forcing only on a specific number of cycles in a set
pattern. This reduces the possibility that external circuits
may filter out the signal.
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