A new simple analytical method for calculating the optimum inverter size in grid-connected PV plants

A new simple analytical method for the calculation of the optimum inverter size in grid-connected PV plants in any location is presented. The derived analytical expressions contain only four unknown parameters, three of which are related to the inverter and one is related to the location and to the nominal power of the PV plant. All four parameters can be easily estimated from data provided by the inverter manufacturer and from freely available climate data. Additionally, analytical expressions for the calculation of the annual energy injected into the ac grid for a given PV plant with given inverter, are also provided. Moreover, an expression for the effective annual efficiency of an inverter is given. The analytical method presented here can be a valuable tool to design engineers for comparing different inverters without having to perform multiple simulations, as is the present situation. The validity of the proposed analytical model was tested through comparison with results obtained by detailed simulations and with measured data. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.