Industry Perspectives on Advanced Inverters for U.S. Solar Photovoltaic Systems

Advanced Inverters could help the Grid

As the penetration of distributed solar has risen rapidly in recent years, utilities and other electric-system stakeholders, have become increasingly concerned about the resulting impact on grid reliability. At the same time, advanced inverters—which can modulate output and communicate actively with grid operators—are increasingly seen as a way to enhance grid stability and enable wider adoption of distributed solar.

What’s in the Report?

Written in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, this report provides the results of interviews with seven utilities and thirteen other organizations leading advanced inverter deployment. Nearly half of the utilities that responded to a 2015 Smart Electric Power Alliance* (SEPA) survey question about advanced inverters were either implementing or considering an advanced inverter project. Despite the interest in advanced inverters, however, relatively few utilities have widely deployed the devices to date. This report provides steps and potential solutions to speed up the rate of advanced inverter deployment.

*formerly Solar Electric Power Association