In-situ measurement of high frequency emission caused by photo voltaic inverters

Modern photovoltaic (PV) installations are being installed in large numbers. Manufacturers are using different harmonized standards to show compliance with the legislative requirements such as the European EMC Directive. Their selection of harmonized standards is not based on adherence to (essential requirements of) the European EMC Directive, but more on what is most convenient, i.e. lowest cost; Some manufacturers install an Ethernet interface and then claim the PV inverter is a computer and use standards applicable for IT (information technology) equipment. Furthermore no limits have been published for the DC bus, which acts, due to its large length, as an antenna. The experimentally obtained data presented in this paper show that PV inverters are causing serious interference, and thus do not fulfil (the essential) requirements of the EMC Directive.