To alleviate over dependency on fossil fuel, nations have spent tremendous effort in research and development on new technology in taming natural resource for renewable energy. Adaptation for renewable energy is steadily on a growing trend as maturity in technology and government subsidies play an important role. For renewable energy such as solar energy, in order to fully utilize energy generated from the solar panel, distributed generator (DR) equipment such as PV inverter is implemented for converting DC voltage generated from solar panel into AC voltage which is further parallel connected to the grid line. To ensure the overall grid line power quality and to minimize unwanted effect which might contribute by grid tied DR, rigorous regulations and test standards such as IEEE 1547, IEC 61000-3-15and IEC 62116 are developed.
Chroma 61512 Programmable AC Source is capable of meeting the aforementioned standard’s requirements for simulated power source. The 61512 Programmable AC Source could easily simulate various test conditions required for PV inverter testing, such as abnormal voltage test and abnormal frequency test. Users could simply use the PLD function such as LIST mode to create test conditions required for LVRT (Low Voltage Ride Through) Test, as 61512 output voltage transient response performance had been validated by PV inverter manufacturer and laboratory and is highly recommended for LVRT testing. Users could also understand about the impact on TRD (Total Rated Distortion) of PV inverter output current under the influence of different severity level of harmonic voltage, and this can be accomplished by using the harmonic synthesis function with 61512 AC Source.
To summarize, the 61512 AC Source can be implemented for the following PV inverter test items.
- Abnormal voltage conditions test
- Abnormal frequency conditions test
- Anti-islanding test
- Harmonic test
- Flicker test
- Low Voltage Ride Through (LVRT) test
Chroma 61500 series AC Source also comes with a graphical user interface which provides extraordinary capability and convenience to user for delivering control to the unit. The Softpanel is designed specifically for offering users to control the AC source by applying user friendly interface configured in a graphical, instrument like settings. The self explanatory graphical interface makes the enabling of extensive functions of AC Source with just few clicks of button. Users are able to perform online and offline waveform editing with the software. The Softpanel is also equipped with data recording function as multiple parameters measurement data can be recorded simultaneously.
Please refer to the following website for further detailed information regarding PV inverter test solution by Chroma.