Control of Reactive Power of a Single-Phase Photovoltaic Inverter

A discussion about reactive power of a single-phase inverter in photovoltaic (PV) systems is presented in this paper. Compensation of loads with variable signs as well as regulation of reactive power at the output of a single phase PV inverter are considered. The active power losses caused by reactive power can be effectively compensated by control of cos φ. This can be achieved by renewable energy sources. Renewables have found a place as an alternative to coal power plants. That is because they present a method of clean electric energy generation. The operating regimes of a grid connected single phase PV inverter, the impact of PV systems over triangle of powers and different control strategies have been studied. In this paper a simple 8-bit controller is proposed to regulate reactive power flow through a grid-connected PV inverter. The structure and control algorithm of the controller are presented.