Type Certification of PV inverters
The manufacturer received a type certificate allowing access to the grid.
Customer
Manufacturer of PV inverters
Challenge
In recent years the PV inverter market has shown strong growth worldwide due to the stronger focus on green energy. This progress comes along with a significant increase in distributed power generation posing new challenges to the grid operators with regards to the stability of their grids. Globally more and more requirements concerning the electrical compliance of PV inverters have been published. A manufacturer wants to prove the compliance of a 20kW-inverter for different countries. The challenge for DNV and the manufacturer is to develop an efficient test plan, including all requirements, to carry out the tests in an accredited test laboratory and to certify compliance.
Approach
DNV is familiar with the corresponding procedures for many countries, so the manufacturer could order the type certification for multiple countries including the US. In some cases where the procedure was not clearly regulated for a specific country, DNV produced official accepted guidelines to define a clear process to prove compliance for the different kind of requirements. The measurement campaign was done according to the test plan; the simulation model was developed. During this process some feedback was required from the manufacturer, to fulfill all requirements. Finally the certification was finished successfully by handover of the certificate to the manufacturer.
Value to the Customer
The manufacturer received a type certificate allowing access to the grid – a ticket to trade in the market. This ensures to the manufacturer that they are fulfilling all the different requirements regarding the electrical behavior of the generating unit. This supports the manufacturer to provide additional assurance of the technology’s bankability, safety, and reliability to grid operators, insurers, investors, potential customers or any other relevant stakeholders and avoid problems at a later stage of the project while saving time and money.
