Solar Lattice

Concept

Short-circuit ratio

ID
concept:short-circuit-ratio
IRI
https://solarlattice.org/kb/concept/short-circuit-ratio
Status
active
Also known as
SCR, weak grid
Category
Grid
Concept kind
electrical

The short-circuit ratio (SCR) is a figure for how strong the grid is where an inverter plant connects. It is usually stated at the point of interconnection or at the inverter AC terminals. At very low SCR values, the impedances of the inverters, the transformer and the grid can combine to cause resonance on the AC voltage waveform. If the resonance gets strong enough, an inverter such as the XGI 1500 sees the grid voltage as too high and shuts down safely. To prevent this, the manufacturer limits how many inverters can share one point of interconnection on a weak grid. Its configuration tables cover SCR scenarios from 2.0 to 6.0. Some central inverter datasheets give a minimum short-circuit ratio at the AC terminals. For the SMA Sunny Central UP-US it is greater than 2. SCR is closely tied to grid impedance: the short-circuit power available from the grid at the medium-voltage connection is used to work out the grid impedance on the low-voltage side of the transformer.

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Claims

explains

c1 drafted · lead Inverter-grid resonance at low short-circuit ratio

At very low SCR, the combined impedances of the inverters, transformer and grid can cause resonance on the AC voltage waveform.

related_to

c2 drafted · lead Grid impedance

Grid short-circuit power at the MV connection is used to calculate grid impedance on the LV side of the transformer.

review note: support check: partial - u32 uses grid short-circuit power to compute LV-side grid impedance, but the passages don't explicitly tie SCR itself to grid impedance.

c3 drafted · lead Point of interconnection

Configuration tables give SCR as measured at the point of interconnection (POI).

c4 drafted · lead Inverter count per interconnection limit proposed

Where grid SCR is very low, fewer inverters may be connected at one shared POI.

c5 verified · fact Low grid short-circuit ratio proposed

verified by: review-workflowverified on: 2026-10-24

c6 verified · fact Solectria XGI 1500

The manufacturer publishes configuration limits for SCR scenarios from 2.0 to 6.0.

verified by: review-workflowverified on: 2026-10-24

c7 drafted · lead Sunny Central UP-US

The datasheet gives a minimum short-circuit ratio of greater than 2 at the AC terminals.

Referenced by

Data