German solar PV research center the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE is looking for suitable solar power plants to carry out field testing of a new method it has developed with project partners for inverter reliability. In return, it is offering a free analysis of power plants with problems.
The institute wants space to test the method developed under the ImaStabil project through which it aims to determine the behavior of inverters in operational PV parks to explore 'undesired resonance effects or high levels of harmonics' among inverters.
If unchecked, these can cause increased losses, premature aging and even equipment failure, it adds. The team has already developed a method to determine the impedance and internal harmonic sources for individual inverters under its StarStrop research project. Now it wants to expand the same to a larger scale, within a field setting.
"Our project consortium is planning to test the differential impedance analysis as a new method for evaluating the stability and harmonic behavior for complex renewable power plants and grids as well," said Project Manager at Fraunhofer ISE, Sebastian Kaiser. "Our approach is to analyze the inverters used and the grid connection point during the planning of the power plant."
Measurement methods developed within the laboratory are planned to be tested with concrete measurements in 3 different PV power plants. The equipment includes a mobile measuring container from Helmut Schmidt University, a mobile impedance measuring device from morEnergy GmbH, along with a health monitoring method.
In May 2023, Fraunhofer ISE unveiled a test stand for integrated warning systems in inverters according to a new IEC standard (see New IEC Standard For Inverters).
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