Designing a Synchronous Automatic Transfer Switch for an On-Grid Solar System

The world is currently at a crucial point in energy transition due to the rapid depletion of fossil fuels and growing concerns about climate change. The reliance on non-renewable energy is becoming increasingly concerning, necessitating the utilization of renewable energy sources. The on-grid solar system operates by feeding the electrical energy generated by solar panels into the grid using a Grid Tie Inverter (GTI). The on-grid solar system offers the advantage of being cheaper because it does not require batteries. Most industrial users require energy from on-grid solar energy to carry out production during the day. Despite their advantages, on-grid systems have a notable limitation. When the grid provider an electricity outage, the on-grid system cannot function, even during the day. This is because the system relies on a trigger from PLN to activate its inverter. This paper aims to design a trigger inverter for on-grid solar systems to address this issue during a PLN power outage. The design will incorporate a Synchronous Automatic Transfer Switch. The main goal of this investigation is to ensure uninterrupted operation of the on-grid solar system in the event of a power outage from the grid. The switch from PLN to GTI occurs without delay and without waveform differences in the load, although there is a slight, insignificant voltage drop with a time interval of 61ms. This study successfully demonstrates that the ATS and GTI systems can function as designed to support the availability of renewable energy in Indonesia.