Abstract—All the RE systems require specific power electronic converters to convert the power generated into useful power that can be directly interconnected with the utility grid and/ or can be used for specific consumer applications locally. The roles of these power converters become very critical, particularly when it is used in one of the most expensive energy generating sources such as solar PV. Since power converter/inverter are the interface of the distributed power system, any premature failure of such system will make the entire system defunct and thus need to be selected appropriately. These power converters need to be selected and designed optimally in order to provide maximum energy efficiency, ensuring reliability and safety of the overall solar PV system, required for different applications. This paper focuses on classification of inverters and present how an best fit inverter can be selected for a particular distributed solar PV applications based on its control scheme, PV array configurations, operational and safety features etc. The paper also covers the review of inverters and brings out few findings on the performance of various existing inverters available in the market based on a systematic analysis done by the author.

Index Terms—solar photovoltaic, inverter, control scheme, central inverter, string inverter, review of inverter

Cite: Parimita Mohanty, "Role of Power Converters in Distributed Solar Power Generation," Jounal of Automation and Control Engineering, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 38-42, March, 2014. doi: 10.12720/joace.2.1.38-42