Development and Evaluation of Open-Source prEN50549-10 Tests Scripts for Improved Solar Integration

Abstract

Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), such as Photovoltaic (PV) inverters, have the capability to provide a range of services for power system operators. The prEN50549-10 draft standard, which outlines test procedures for the grid support functions of the DER, is an essential tool to certify that PV inverters comply with the stated functions. Open-Source prEN50549-10 Python Tests Scripts that automatically execute test procedures for the certification standard are developed and evaluated in this study. For that purpose, a Controller Hardware-In-The-Loop (CHIL) testbed integrated with automated testing was used. The system comprises a 34.5 kW Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) Smart Grid Converter (SGC) connected to a Typhoon HIL 402 system, and the evaluations for the automation of grid support function tests rely on the SunSpec System Validation Platform (SVP) to execute sequences of testing logic that change settings on the Device Under Test (DUT), grid simulator, PV simulator, and data acquisition system using Python scripts. As a result, it was obtained for the first time Python Test Scripts that allow the automatic execution of the certification test for the grid support functions of "Active response to frequency deviation", "Voltage support by reactive power", and "Voltage related to active power reduction" as stated in the prEN50549-10 standard.