1500V Photovoltaic System Simulation Solution

Starting the second-half of 2015, many manufacturers have started to launch 1500V solar products. 1500V-rated solar systems are not new to the market. In the world-wide solar market, 40% of the three-phase inverter shipments were 1500V systems in 2017, and the next year this figure even climbed up to 62%, exceeding shipments of 1000V systems. While the solar system upgraded from 600V to 1000V, it leads to cost saving and efficiency gains, and the same things can be expected for the upgrade from 1000V to 1500V.

In 2019, solar has moved past wind to become the leading technology installed worldwide for renewable energy and the fourth largest power source on a capacity basis, behind coal, gas and hydro, according to BNEF. The solar PV market is also expected to grow 14% annually in 2020. But as the rebate policies for PV systems of each country has been changed and the increasing competitions, the overall industry has drive down the cost per watt. The improvements on research and development are continuing among manufacturers to further reduce cost and dependence on government compensation. This will eventually lead to realization of low-cost grid-tie systems and drive the demands for 1500V system applications.

1500V and 100 to 200kW string inverters have become the major choice due to its edge on efficiency, flexibility and cost. However, this also brings the new challenges to the solar inverter developers: how to simulate 1500V or even 2000V solar panels with high power under different conditions at the same time. The high power string inverters also mean more MPPT-channels, and each channel needs independent simulation. To test the input protection feature of the PV inverters, a solar array simulator with over 150% of rated input power is also needed.

As the trend of solar industry is moving toward higher voltage and power, Preen has upgraded its ADG family with more solar array simulation features to better meet the next generation market demands and testing requirements. The ADG family can generate voltage up to 2000V and power up to 1.2MW. Through parallel operation, it can achieve multi-channel MPPT simulation with high precision and fast response. The ADG series also has built-in EN50530 and Sandia I-V curve options for solar array simulation. Users can easily do static or dynamic MPPT test with the ADG’s optional software or create self-defined profile including solar panel types, nominal temperature, voltage and current values.