A significant fraction of power generated in India is now from solar PV systems. As India deploys more renewables to achieve the 2030 goal of 50% electricity capacity from ‘non-fossil fuel’ sources, there is increasing focus on the grid’s ability to handle such renewable sources. These sources are interfaced to the grid using power electronic converters.

The dynamic characteristics are determined by the control strategies and controller implementation, and are quite different from the conventional synchronous machine-based systems. Prof. Anil Kulkarni, one of the NCPRE investigators, organized a 2-day industry-oriented short term course on “Solar Photo-Voltaic Systems connected to the Bulk Power Grid: Technology and Grid Interactions” from 12-13 January 2024. The course covered the technology of solar PV systems from a power systems planning and operations perspective. The characteristics, capabilities and limitations of these systems were brought out and correlated to the grid-connectivity standards. The course content included: Solar PV Characteristics, Maximum Power Extraction, Grid-interfacing of large solar installations, Grid-Connected Inverters: Principles of Operation, Control of Grid-Connected Inverters, Steady state and Transient Capabilities, Grid-Following mode and Grid-Forming operation, Overview of Standards, Modeling and Simulation.