Certification Training Course

CONFIDENTIAL

SESSION -1: Inverters LIMITED USE

1. Introduction
2. Solar Fundamentals
3. PV Technologies
4. PV Modules
5. Inverters
6. Benefits of the PV

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Inverters

Objective

• The objective of this module is to review the

Inverters, the Maximum Power Point Tracker
and their electronics.
• Examples of commercial models are also
presented.

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General
Characteristics

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General Characteristics
Definitions

• An inverter or power conversion equipment (PCE) is a system

that converts the electrical power delivered by the PV array into
the appropriate frequency and/or voltage values to be delivered
to the load, or stored in a battery or injected into the electricity
grid
• A grid-connected inverter is an inverter that is able to operate
in parallel with the distribution or transmission system of an
electrical utility

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General Characteristics
Main functions performed by PV inverters

• Optimal exploitation of the PV array(s)

• Power conversion from DC to sine wave AC
• Automatic syncronization to the grid and connection
• Automatic disconnection in case of grid failure
• Grid services (voltage control, reactive power, etc.)

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General Characteristics
Separation between DC section and AC section

• An isolated inverter (Transformer inverter) has at least simple

separation between the main power output circuits and PV
circuits and having leakage currents less than the limits required
to be classified as an isolated inverter. The separation/isolation
may be either embedded in the inverter or provided externally

• A non-isolated inverter (Transformerless inverter) is an

inverter without the minimum separation between the main
power output and PV circuits or with leakage currents greater
than the requirements for an isolated inverter (transformerless
inverter)

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GRID-TIED INVERTORS

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GRID-TIED INVERTORS

Grid-commutated inverters

Uses the mains voltage to determine the

switch-on and switch-off for the electronic
switching devices.

Power switching circuit:

• Thyristors,
• Insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT).

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GRID-TIED INVERTORS

Self-commutated inverters

Use principle of pulse-width-modulation (PWM) with

switching frequency in the region of 10kHz to 100
kHz.

Power switching circuit:

• Metal-oxide semiconductor power field effect
transistors (MOSFETs),
• Bipolar transistors,
• Gate turn-off thyristors (GTOs) (up to 1kHz),
• Insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs).

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General Characteristics
Presence and position of the internal transformer

Inverters may be divided into:

• Inverter with the transformer placed
on grid side (Isolation DC/AC and (Single-stage also)
inability to inject DC current into the
grid)
• Inverter with the transformer placed
between stages (Isolation DC/AC but
a protection against DC injection is
required)
• Transformerless inverters (No
isolation DC/AC and a protection
against DC injection is required)
(Single-stage also)

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General Characteristics
Input management

Inverters may be divided into:

• Single input with a pair of + and – terminals or clamps (usually
large inverters, where the parallel and the protection of strings is
performed outside)
• String inverters with a (small) number of pairs of + and –
terminals or connectors (usually small inverters that perform the
parallel of strings and sometimes the string protection)
• Inverters with more than one MPPT, each of them with one or
more pairs of + and – terminals or connectors (usually small-
medium inverters that can manage different sub-arrays further
than perform the parallel of strings)

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CONFIGURATION CONCEPTS OF GRID-TIED INVERTORS

Sub-array and String inverters Concept

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CONFIGURATION CONCEPTS OF GRID-TIED INVERTORS

Central Inverters Concept

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The Maximum
Power Point
Tracker

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The Maximum Power Point Tracker
Purpose
Maximum power point tracking (MPPT):
• Control strategy whereby PV array
operation is always at or near the
point on a PV device's current-
voltage characteristic where the
product of electric current and voltage
yields the maximum electrical power
under specified operating conditions
At uniform irradiance the maximum
power point depends from:
• Array characteristics
• Solar irradiance
• Cell temperature

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The Maximum Power Point Tracker
The Perturb & Observe (P&O) MPPT algorithm

• It is mostly used, due to its ease of implementation

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The Maximum Power Point Tracker
The incremental conductance technique (INC) MPPT algorithm

• It is based on the observation that, at the MPP it is = 0 that

can be also written as =−

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The Maximum Power Point Tracker
Absolute maximum Vs. relative maximum

• Some MPPTs can find the absolute maximum of the power curve
rather than a relative maximum
• This is particularly useful when the PV array is partially shaded

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Electronics and
DC/AC
conversion

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Electronics and DC/AC conversion
DC/AC conversion and PWM

• DC/AC conversion is obtained by means of a full-bridge (H-

bridge) circuit
• The sine wave is reproduced by means of the pulse width
modulation (PWM) method

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Electronics and DC/AC conversion
Single stage Vs. double stage inverters

• Double stage inverters can better manage DC side and AC side

because DC/DC stage and DC/AC stage are differentiated
• Single stage inverters are more efficient and cheaper

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Electronics and DC/AC conversion
Double stage single-phase inverter with a transformer between stages

DC/DC Converter

DC/AC Converter

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Electronics and DC/AC conversion
Single stage three-phase inverter

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Electronics and DC/AC conversion
Integration of single-phase and three-phase inverter

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Examples of
commercial
models

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Examples of commercial models
ABB MICRO-0.25-I-OUTD

• Single phase inverter

• Max DC power: 265 W
• Max input voltage: 65 V
• MPPT range: 25 ÷ 50 V
• Independent MPPTs: NA
• Strings per MPPT: NA
• Max current per MPPT: 10.5 A
• Max apparent AC power: 250 VA
• AC voltage range: 180 ÷ 264 V
• AC frequency range: 50 Hz ±3 Hz
• Power factor: > 0.995
• Max output current: 1.3 A

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Examples of commercial models
ABB MICRO-0.25-I-OUTD

• Stand-by consumption: 50 mW
• Max efficiency: 96.5 %
• European efficiency: 95.4 %
• DC disconnection device: No
• Ground fault monitoring: No
• Interface protection: No
• Operating temperature: -40 ÷ +75 °C
• Degree of protection: IP65
• HF transformer
• Dimensions (WHD): 24626635 mm
• Weight: 1.65 kg
• Cooling: Natural

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Examples of commercial models
SMA Sunny Boy 3000 TL – Reactive Power Control

• Single phase inverter

• Max DC power: 3200 W
• Max input voltage: 750 V
• MPPT range: 175 ÷ 400 V
• Independent MPPTs: 2
• Strings per MPPT: 2
• Max current per MPPT: 15 A
• Max apparent AC power: 3000 VA
• AC voltage range: 180 ÷ 280 V
• AC frequency range: 50 Hz ±5 Hz
• Power factor: 0.8 lagging ÷ 0.8 leading
• Max output current: 16 A

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Examples of commercial models
SMA Sunny Boy 3000 TL – Reactive Power Control

• Stand-by consumption: 1 W
• Max efficiency: 97 %
• European efficiency: 96 %
• DC disconnection device: Yes
• Ground fault monitoring: Yes
• Interface protection: Yes
• Operating temperature: -25 ÷ +60 °C
• Degree of protection: IP65
• Transformerless inverter
• Dimensions (WHD): 490519185 mm
• Weight: 26 kg
• Cooling: Convection

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Examples of commercial models
ABB TRIO-27.6-TL-OUTD

• 3-phases inverter
• Max DC power: 28600 W
• Max input voltage: 1000 V
• MPPT range: 500 ÷ 800 V
• Independent MPPTs: 2
• Strings per MPPT: 5
• Max power per MPPT: 16000 W
• Max apparent AC power: 30000 VA
• AC voltage range: 320 ÷ 480 V
• AC frequency range: 50 Hz ±3 Hz
• Power factor: 0.8 lagging ÷ 0.8 leading
• Max output current: 45 A

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Examples of commercial models
ABB TRIO-27.6-TL-OUTD

• Stand-by consumption: <8 W

• Max efficiency: 98.2 %
• European/CEC efficiency: 98.0 %
• DC disconnection device: Yes
• Ground fault monitoring: Yes
• Interface protection: Yes
• Operating temperature: -25 ÷ +60 °C
• Degree of protection: IP65
• Transformerless inverter
• Dimensions (WHD): 7021061292 mm
• Weight: 75 kg
• Cooling: Natural

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