Grid Integration of Static Converters

DERlab Workshop Series

International White Book on the Grid Integration of Static Converters

The European Union set a binding target for 20% of the EU's total energy supply to come from renewables by 2020. (Click here for more details.) [86 KB] The resulting high penetration rate of distributed renewable energy sources, which are typically intermittent, will affect the electricity power system. Grid inverters are the key elements to massively integrate distributed renewable energy sources into the power system. Aim of this series of workshops is to define common European requirements for the grid inverter of the future.

Developing an European vision step by step
This series of workshops has been initiated as a result of an international discussion at the DERlab workshop on "DER laboratories of Excellence, Testing, and Standards" that was held at the "2nd International Conference on Integration of Renewable and Distributed Energy Resources" in Napa, California, Dec. 2006.

[Download International White Book on the Grid Integration of Static Converters [1.454 KB] ]

3rd DERlab Workshop on Grid Inverters
9th December 2008,
at the International Conference on Integration of Renewable and Distributed Energy Resources, Nice (France)

This European draft was then discussed on international level during the third DERlab workshop, which was held before the "3rd International Conference on Integration of Renewable and Distributed Energy Resources" in Nice, December 9, 2008. The comments especially from the participants from the US and Canada were highly welcome.

Drafting the white book

The outcome of the workshops are currently compiled and edited. The following drafted chapters are available already:

First draft chapter 1: Ancillary Services (slides [258 KB] )
(improvement of power quality, balancing power, demand side service,...)
Chair: Prof Hanzelka, TU Lodz, Poland

First draft chapter 2: Behaviour under fault conditions (drafted text [1.445 KB] ) (slides [152 KB] )
(fault-ride-through, loss-of-mains, network restoration, network protection,...)
Chair: Dr Thomas Degner, ISET, Germany

First draft chapter 3: Communication, control and energy management (slides [174 KB] )
(communication protocols, bi-directional communication, grid monitoring, VPP, operation modes and their management strategies,...)
Chair: Dr Takis Romanos, NTUA, Greece and Dr Jens Merten, CEA INES, France

With this white book as working paper for the inverter specialists we want to achieve a consensus as broad as possible. Your participation is welcome, too. So please download the drafts and contribute to this work by sending your comments to info(at)der-lab.net.

2nd DERlab Workshop on Grid Inverters
18th September 2008,
combined with the 13th Kasseler Symposium Energy Systems Technology, Kassel (Germany)

On the second DERlab workshop the chapter editors presented the first draft of the "International White Book on the Grid Integration of Static Converters". In parallel sessions the workshop participants pictured their visions 2020 for the tasks of static converters in distribution grids. Now the draft European white book is in the process of elaborating and editing.

1st DERlab Workshop on Grid Inverters
25th June 2008,
combined with the CIRED 2008 Seminar on Smart Grids for Distribution, Frankfurt (Germany)

The first "DERlab Workshop on Grid Inverters" took place in Germany, Frankfurt on June 25, 2008 in connection with the CIRED Seminar 2008 on smart grids for distribution. It was the kick-off for writing the "International White Book on the Grid Integration of Static Converters". With more than 50 participants from universities, DER test laboratories, distributed system operators and industry it shows the high relevance of this issue to the scientific community and the industry.