Solar Lattice

Concept

Voltage rise

ID
concept:voltage-rise
IRI
https://solarlattice.org/kb/concept/voltage-rise
Status
active
Also known as
AC voltage rise, voltage rise at point of connection, VRise, AC line voltage rise
Category
Design
Concept kind
electrical

Voltage rise is the increase in voltage at an inverter's AC terminals that happens because the inverter generates current and pushes it out through the resistance of the wiring. For load circuits the same calculation is called voltage drop. For PV inverters it is called voltage rise because they supply power instead of using it. Getting the voltage rise right at design time helps prevent nuisance trips for voltage out of range when line voltage is high. Lower conductor resistance also means less power loss, less heat at terminals and better system performance. Enphase's method calculates the rise for each wire section separately and checks that the total stays below 2%. If you design to that limit, the small extra losses at terminals, connectors and breakers can be ignored. For the run from the IQ Combiner or PV subpanel to the point of common coupling, Enphase's tables give the maximum conductor lengths that keep that section at 1% rise. On the utility side, large amounts of PV can raise feeder voltage and make it fluctuate. This is worst near the end of long, lightly loaded feeders, and it affects power quality and voltage regulating equipment. If grid voltage or grid impedance at the connection point is too high, an inverter can disconnect from the grid. Some inverters also have a rise-in-voltage protection that watches the 10-minute average AC voltage.

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Claims

related_to

c1 drafted · lead Voltage drop

Same conductor calculation as voltage drop. It is called voltage rise because inverters generate current instead of drawing it.

c2 drafted · lead Voltage rise calculation proposed

c4 drafted · lead AC conductor voltage rise limiting

Enphase guidance aims for a total voltage rise below 2%, with 1% for the section from the combiner or PV subpanel to the PCC.

c5 drafted · lead Point of common coupling proposed

c6 drafted · lead Power quality

On feeders with high PV penetration, voltage rise and fluctuation affect power quality and the operation of voltage control devices.

c7 drafted · lead Voltage trip

Some vendors call their overvoltage protection 'rise-in-voltage protection'. In SMA inverters it monitors the 10-minute average AC voltage.

review note: support check: partial - The 10-minute average monitoring is stated, but the passages never say that other vendors call overvoltage protection 'rise-in-voltage protection', and SMA is not named. The relation to the voltage trip concept is also only implied by the U>/U>> relay settings.

c8 drafted · lead Grid impedance

The inverter disconnects when grid voltage or grid impedance at its connection point is too high.

explains

c3 drafted · lead Grid voltage out of range

Too much voltage rise can cause nuisance voltage out-of-range trips under high line voltage.

Referenced by

Data