Development and testing of a 20-kW grid interactive photovoltaic power conditioning system in western Australia

A prototype current-controlled power conditioning system has been developed and tested on a weak rural feeder line at Kalbarri, about 600 km northwest of Perth in Western Australia. This system sources 20 kW of power from a photovoltaic array with a maximum power point tracking control. In addition, it provides voltage support for the grid at Kalbarri by varying it's reactive power in response to the measured voltage at the point of connection. This paper describes the development and testing of the power conditioning system. Index Terms - Converter, current control, grid, photovoltaic, ramptime, reactive power.