Can inverters jump-start the grid?

In the newly published Research Roadmap on Grid-Forming Inverters, researchers from National Laboratories, universities, and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) outline a plan to use renewable energy to jump-start the grid by taking advantage of an essential piece of connection equipment known as an inverter.

What are inverters & how do they work?

Inverters provide the interface between the grid and energy sources like solar panels, wind turbines, and energy storage.

What is grid-forming inverter technology?

Grid-forming inverters are an emerging technology that allows solar and other inverter-based energy sources to restart the grid independently. The new roadmap highlights recent innovations in grid-forming inverter technology.

How do grid-following inverters work?

Traditional “grid-following” inverters require an outside signal from the electrical grid to determine when the switching will occur in order to produce a sine wave that can be injected into the power grid. In these systems, the power from the grid provides a signal that the inverter tries to match.

Can a grid forming inverter re-start the grid?

As wind and solar account for increasing shares of the overall electricity supply, it is becoming impractical to depend on the rest of the grid to manage disturbances. Grid-forming inverters are an emerging technology that allows solar and other inverter-based energy sources to restart the grid independently.

How does a grid forming inverter work?

Grid-forming inverters can start up a grid if it goes down—a process known as black start. Traditional “grid-following” inverters require an outside signal from the electrical grid to determine when the switching will occur in order to produce a sine wave that can be injected into the power grid.