By Kari Williamson

The certification is required for newly commissioned grid-coupled inverters equipped with a direct medium-voltage connection in Germany.

Evaluation and certification of the 1.32 MW capacity solar inverter were implemented via Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems and the certification institute Bureau Veritas.

The BDEW directive requests that solar photovoltaic (PV) inverters must no longer shut down in the event of a short-term failure of the mains network, but must support the mains network in a dynamic manner.

Furthermore, solar PV systems must also provide a contribution in the field of static voltage maintenance in the future by delivering and receiving reactive power in order to be able to compensate for voltage fluctuations within the mains network.

“The field of photovoltaics has developed from being a hobby of individuals to become a cornerstone of the German energy supply. Therefore, it is logical that it must also provide a contribution to the system services of the electricity grid. The Medium-Voltage Directive ensures that the development in the field of photovoltaics can be continued in the future as well,” says Hans-Thomas Fritzsche, General Manager of the German subsidiary of Sputnik Engineering in Neuhausen, Germany.

“With our inverters we not only deliver the highest Swiss quality, but we also provide our customers with the guarantee of complying with country-specific particularities and statutory requirements.”