Module-based storage for regulating PV power intermittency at the point of generation

Irradiance variability and its impact on the power grid is an important consideration at high PV penetration levels. Ramp-rate control using energy storage has been proposed to smooth the power output from PV installations caused by irradiance variations. As distributed module-based micro-inverters/converters are becoming more common, they opens up possibilities for integrated module level storage for ramp-rate control. We examine using supercapacitor storage, integrated into a distributed micro-inverter, for regulating the ramp-rate. Experiments show that very modest amounts of storage are able to be used, reducing the ramp-rate to acceptable levels.