Chaper 10

System Design and Integration of Grid-Tied Systems

Presentation #1

Dr. Weidong Xiao

School of Electrical and Information Engineering

University of Sydney, Australia

2017
c

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Outline

1 Design procedure for grid-tied PV systems

2 System integration of single-phase grid-tied system

Distributed maximum power point tracking system at string level
Distributed maximum power point tracking at PV module level

3 Design example of three-phase grid-tied system

4 Summary

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Design procedure for grid-tied PV systems

The key components in grid-tied systems have been introduced in Chapter 4

and 5.
Modeling and control solution are mainly focused in Chapter 6 and 7.
The function and implementation of maximum power point tracking have been
covered in Chapter 8.
Simulation of the individual component has been presented to verify the
effectiveness of the design and performance expectation.
The system integration generally follows several steps, which are illustrated
by 7 steps.

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Step 1: specification of AC grid-tied system for single-phase interconnection

The design procedure can be straightforwardly demonstrated by integrating

practical PV system for single-phase AC grid interconnection.
The capacity and specification fits the application for residential houses or
apartment buildings.
The system specification for the grid interconnection:
Term Specifications
AC grid connection type single phase
Grid frequency 50 Hz
Rated AC grid voltage 230 V (RMS)
Rated power at STC 6 kW
Lowest temperature in winter - 35 o C
Highest temperature in summer +25 o C

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Step 2: Inverter selection and Inverter output circuit

Based on the interconnection specification, the grid-tied inverter can be

selected to meet the requirement for voltage, frequency, and capacity.
One suitable product is the ABB-PVI-6000, which shows the certification of
IEC-62109 by TUV.
The product datasheet indicates that the system is constructed by the
two-stage conversion, which has been introduced in the beginning of Chapter
5 and Chapter 7.
Two PV side converters (PVSC) are included in the inverter unit, which
provide independent MPPT in the string level.
One important parameter is the maximum AC output current, which is
specified as 30 A.
The value can be used to specify the AC disconnect and AC circuit breaker
according to the rule of 1.56 or other electric codes.
The rating can also follow the inverter recommendation of the contributory
fault current, which is 40 A.
Therefore, the system is designed including the inverter and the relevant
output circuit
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Step 3: single-line diagram of the inverter output circuit

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Step 4: PV source circuit - PV modules

One specific model is selected, which is 250 W rating at STC.

The PV module is certified by VDE and UL for the ratings of 1000 V and 600
V respectively.
The PV module specification (2016 version) is shown in the Table.
Basic information
Manufacturer Model Cell material Dimension
HHI HiS-M250RG Multi-crystalline 998mm × 1,640mm × 35mm
Electrical performance at STC
Cells PMPP IMS VMS ISCS VOCS
60 250 W 8.1 A 30.9 V 8.7 A 37.4 V
Temperature coefficients
αT βT γT
0.048 %/o C −0.32 %/o C −0.43 %/o C

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Step 4: PV source circuit

To form the 6 kW PV array, 24 PV modules of HiS-M250RG are required.

They can be divided into two strings, of which the number of PV modules in
series (Nseries ) is 12.
The maximum DC voltage is calculated by the sum of the rated open-circuit
voltage of each string with the correction of the lowest expected temperature,
which is expressed in
Vpvdc (max) = KT × 12 × 37.4 = 448.8KT
where KT is the correction factor based on the lowest expected ambient
temperature.
Since the installation location is expected to be as cold as - 35 ◦ C, the
correction factor of KT can be as determined by the temperature coefficients.
The correction factor can be calculated as 1.19 by
KT = 1 + βT (−35 − 25)
The maximum DC voltage is rated as 542 V, which is lower than the upper
limit (600 V) that is required by the inverter specification.
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Step 4: PV source circuit

The string voltage is calculated as 370.8 V to represent the nominal operating

condition when the system is operated at STC, which is calculated by
VMS × Nseries .
When the summer season is considered, the voltage at the MPP is always
higher than the lower limit of the inverter requirement, 200 V.
The evaluation of the lowest voltage at MPP in the hottest season is important.
Therefore, the PV source circuits of the PV array can be considered to be
valid.

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Step 5&6: PV output circuit and inverter input circuit

Since the inverter accepts two strings, the system does not need a DC
combiner box.
Each string is designed and connected to the inverter through the DC
disconnect.
The maximum string current is calculated by 1.25 ×ISCS , which is 10.9
Ampere according to the article 690.
The DC disconnect should be rated accordingly with the consideration of the
factor of 1.25.
The inverter manufacturers also supply the DC disconnects, which can be
selected to apply.
The size of cable can be determined by the estimated loss due to the
transmission distance. This can be difference from case to case.
The relevant information can be sourced from the electric code, as discussed
in Chapter 3.
All components should be selected with the distinguishing of indoor and
outdoor installation to ensure the long-term reliability and lifetime.
All metal parts of frames and enclosures in the system should be grounded to
earth.
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Step 7: Single line diagram of the 6kW PV grid-tied system for review

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Distributed maximum power point tracking at PV module level - inverter selection

PV module mismatch within each string can cause significant generation

degradation in the system.
For the same system specification, another approach is available, which
utilize the module integrated parallel inverters (MIPI).
One product meeting the requirement is the SMA Sunny boy 240
(SMA-SB-240), which has been certified for installation in Europe.
Term Specifications
AC grid connection type single phase
Grid frequency 50 Hz
Rated AC grid voltage 230 V (RMS)
Maximum DC power 300 W rated at STC
Maximum short circuit current 12 A rated at STC
DC input voltage range 23 - 45 V
Rated DC input voltage 29.5 V
Peak conversion efficiency 95.8 %
European weighted efficiency 95.3 %
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Distributed maximum power point tracking at PV module level - PV module selection

The system design adopts the same PV module, HiS-M250RG.

The short circuit current is 8.7 A at STC, which is lower than the inverter limit,
12 A.
With the coldest temperature correction, the maximum output voltage is
estimated as 44.5 V by applying the temperature correction since the open
circuit voltage is rated as 37.4 V at STC and the lowest temperature is
estimated as -35 ◦ C in the installation location.
The voltage representing the MPP is 30.9 V, which satisfies the input voltage
window from 23 to 45 V, and is also close to the rated voltage 29.5 V.
When the key components of the MIPI and PV module are selected,
designing the system becomes straightforward.
The 6 kW capacity is formed by 24 PV modules that is rated as 250 W at the
STC.
24 MIPIs, SMA-SB-240 are also required to form the power interfaces to
execute MPPT at the module level and inject AC into the grid.

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Distributed maximum power point tracking at PV module level - integration

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Distributed maximum power point tracking at PV module level - review

When MIPI is applied, the system becomes very modular.

The system is divided by two circuit branches, of which each is formed by 12
PV modules, 12 MIPIs, one AC disconnect, and one AC circuit breaker.
The maximum efficiency of the SMA-SB-240 is 95.8 %, which is lower than
the string-level inverter, ABB-PVI-6000, which is 97 %.
However, the system provides independent MPPT for each PV module, which
effectively reduces power loss resulted from any PV module mismatch or
partial shading.
Thanks to the parallel infrastructure, individual fault can also be isolated
without affecting other healthy devices.
For MIPI systems, the manufacturer usually provides specific cable and
adapters for the DC connection between the PV module and the MIPI and
supplies AC cable for the parallel connection between MIPIs.
Other wiring can follow the local electric code for all safety measure.

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Step 1&2: Specification and inverter selection for three-phase interconnection

The design procedure can be demonstrated by another example to construct

a 500 kW PV system for three-phase grid interconnection.
System specification of three-phase AC grid-tied system
Term Specifications
AC grid connection type Three phase through LV/MV transformer
Grid frequency 50 Hz
Rated power 500 kW
Lowest temperature in winter 10 o C
Highest temperature in summer 50 o C
The grid-tied inverter should be chosen according to the requirement of the
voltage, frequency, and capacity.
One suitable product is the ABB-PVS800-57-0250kW-A, which shows the
certification of VDE and BDEW and is rated as 250 kW in capacity.
Each inverter supports two DC inputs, of which other details can be found
from the website: www.abb.com.

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Step 3: inverter output circuit

Therefore, the 500 kW system can be constructed by the two grid-tied

inverters sharing the same point of common coupling for MV grid
interconnection.
Each inverter supports two DC inputs,The product datasheet shows the
system is constructed by the one-stage conversion.
One important parameter of the grid-tied inverter is the nominal AC output
current, which is specified as 485 A.
The value can be used to specify the AC disconnect and AC circuit breaker
according to the rule of 1.56 or local electric code.

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Step 4: PV source circuit

The specification of the inverter shows the requirement to design the DC

section, which includes the PV source circuit, PV source output circuit, and
inverter input circuit.
The same PV module, which is manufactured by Hyundai Heavy Industries
(HHI) and modelled as HiS-M250RG, can be selected for this application
since it is certified by VDE and UL for the ratings of 1000 V and 600 V
respectively.
To form the 250 kW PV subarray for each grid-tied inverter, one thousand PV
modules of HiS-M250RG are required since each is rated as 250 W.
The inverter datasheet shows that the input DC voltage should be higher than
450V, but always lower than 900V.
The voltage window allows to choose the number of PV modules in series
connection to form the PV string.
The initial design can choose 20 PV modules in series connection to form
each string.

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Step 4: PV source circuit

The maximum DC voltage is calculated by the sum of the rated open-circuit

voltage of each string with the correction of the lowest expected temperature.
Since the installation location is expected to be as cold as +10 o C, the
correction factor of KT can be as determined by the temperature coefficients
and be calculated as 1.05.
Therefore, the maximum DC voltage is rated as 784 V, which is lower than the
upper limit of the inverter (900 V).
The string voltage is rated as 618 V to represent the nominal operating
condition when the system is operated at the STC.
When the summer season is considered, the voltage can be lower than the
rated value since the ambient temperature is expected to be as high as 50 o C.
If the PV cell temperature is estimated to be 80 o C, the lowest voltage is
calculated to be 509 V, which is higher than the lower limit that is required by
the grid-tied converter.
Considering the output characteristics of PV modules, it is very important to
verify the voltage of MPP in the hottest summer season and the open-circuit
voltage in the coldest winter season in order to always meet the input
requirement of the grid-tied inverter.
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Single line diagram for review

The system includes 4 PV

subarrays and 2 centralized
inverters and is coupled to the MV
network through the LV/MV
transformer.
The PV output circuit is formed by
4 DC combiner boxes with OCP.
Each connects 25 PV strings in
parallel.
The design document should
include the specification of the PV
source circuits, PV output circuit,
inverter input circuit, inverter,and
inverter output circuit, which are
summarized in Section 10.2 in the
book.
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Summary

This presentation shows the system design, integration, of AC grid-tied PV

systems.
Important components are chosen according to the required specification and
performance.
The design procedure is recommended and shown in the flowchart.
Study cases are demonstrated to design practical PV systems for
single-phase and three-phase grid interconnection.
Besides the centered MPPT system, the distributed MPPT systems are
shown by the practical design at the string-level and module-level.
When MIPI is applied, the design is straightforward since the system
becomes very modular.
The information is useful for industrial design and academic case study.

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