Report published in the 10th edition of Canal Solar Magazine
This work was motivated by the interest in exploring the control mechanisms of inverters used in photovoltaic systems connected to the electrical grid.
These mechanisms can be divided into two groups, according to their nature: functional controls, necessary for the inverter to perform its main function of injecting energy into the electrical grid, and (2) protection systems.
The first group contains the synchronism mechanisms, output current control and maximum power point tracking (MPPT – maximum power point monitoring).
The second group includes islanding detection mechanisms, leakage current monitoring and, in the most modern inverters found on the market, ACFI systems (arc fault current switch) and anti-PID (potential induced degradation).
The scope of this work is limited to PLL synchronization mechanisms (phase-locked loop), current control and islanding detection (or anti-islanding system), which will be explored in detail in the following sections.