EMERGING TRENDS WITH SMART SOLAR PV INVERTERS

The technology of smart photovoltaic (PV) inverters is undergoing a major evolution process. This chapter deals with some of the fast‐emerging trends with smart solar PV inverters. It presents some thoughts on potential financial compensation mechanisms to smart PV inverters for providing grid support functionalities that go beyond being just "good citizens" on the power transmission and distribution systems. The power output from intermittent wind and solar power plants need to be curtailed to avoid unacceptable voltage and frequency variations on the grid. The impacts of large implementation of grid forming inverters in electric power grids in terms of control interaction with synchronous generators and other grid following inverters; system protection and relaying, are being determined. The chapter describes a case that smart solar PV inverters offer many grid support functionalities which can significantly help in enhancing the overall grid stability and reliability.