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Inverters—critical photovoltaic balance‐of‐system components: status, issues, and new‐millennium opportunities
Author(s) -
Bower Ward
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
progress in photovoltaics: research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.286
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1099-159X
pISSN - 1062-7995
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-159x(200001/02)8:1<113::aid-pip306>3.0.co;2-c
Subject(s) - photovoltaic system , inverter , overcurrent , maximum power point tracking , electrical engineering , power (physics) , engineering , component (thermodynamics) , computer science , automotive engineering , voltage , physics , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
The balance‐of‐system (BOS) components in a photovoltaic (PV) installation include the array structure, trackers, ac and dc wiring, overcurrent protection, disconnects, interconnects, inverters, charge controllers, energy storage and system controllers. The inverter (sometimes called power‐conditioning subsystem (PCS), power conditioner, or static power converter) is the key electrical power handling component of a photovoltaic power system that is attached to ac loads. This paper focuses on the inverter and its related functions as the critical electrical BOS element in a photovoltaic system. The paths that have been taken to arrive at today's inverter technology are summarized and developments in integrated hardware, advancements in packaging, advancements in manufacturing, and opportunities for the new millennium are presented. Published in 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.