Islanding Detection in Photo-Voltaic Systems Based on Instantaneous Power Measurements

Abstract

Today, renewable and clean energy sources are being used to generate electric power and to reduce dependency on conventional fossil fuels, which are limited in supply and cause immense pollution. Renewable energy is also a sustainable type of energy. Although it may not be a cost-effective type of energy in the short term, it can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Safety operations and measures are of great concern, and the prevention of islanding phenomena plays an important role for are liable energy system. Therefore, anti-islanding protection is a requirement for connecting to the utility grid. Here, we propose a different and fast method for islanding detection in photo-voltaic (PV) systems. The suggested method is based on instantaneous power calculation at the point of common coupling and is able to detect islanding conditions within a few sampling intervals. No further calculations are needed to detect islanding problems for grid-connected PV systems. © Renewable Energy Research, 2017.