The growth of distributed power generation is driving the increasing use of power electronics equipment to connect renewable energy sources to existing grids. For component manufacturers and utilities, testing is the key to ensuring these grid inverters and converters perform as specified. In our lab we set electrical boundary conditions for realistic grid conditions and evaluate the interaction between the grid and power electronics systems in terms of power quality, system stability, harmonics and performance under fault conditions .
For today’s grids, power levels associated with distributed generation are rising and reactive power is increasingly used as part of voltage control. We investigate the interaction between the grid and connected VAR compensation units, looking at reactive power control, power quality, system stability and behaviour under fault conditions.
Capabilities and ratings:
- testing capacity at low and medium voltages up to 1 MVAr
- high bandwidth to create harmonics up to 2.4 kHz
- ability to create static and dynamic voltage phenomena.
