Energy Commission Meeting Seeks Stakeholder Input on Smart Inverters

In 2017, solar accounted for the largest form of renewable energy in California.

It was the first time solar outpaced wind as a renewable energy resource in California. That milestone is good for California’s clean energy goals of sourcing 50 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030.

But the increase in solar brings challenges. Solar systems can put pressure on the electric grid by causing voltage and frequency fluctuations. In the past, the fluctuations required utilities to invest in expensive equipment to regulate the grid.

Smart inverters can help. Smart inverters modulate the power output from a solar system before the electricity enters the grid. Unlike non-smart inverters, which account for most of the inverters used presently, smart inverters have advanced functions. They improve power quality while allowing for more solar to be added to the grid without costly upgrades. Smart inverters can communicate with a utility, thereby assisting the utility in managing the grid in a safer and more reliable manner.

The California Energy Commission is holding an August 16 workshop in Sacramento to gather stakeholder input on the Energy Commission’s solar equipment lists. The inverter list is used to determine eligibility for Senate Bill 1 programs that incentivize the installation of new solar systems.

Utilities use the list to help determine if a solar system meets their requirements for interconnection to the grid. System designers and installers also use the list during the early stages of solar system design when working with new customers.

During the meeting, Energy Commission staff is scheduled to discuss removing non-smart inverters from solar equipment lists and exclusively maintaining smart inverters on the equipment lists, expand the lists to include battery storage, and improving the organization of information and data posted on the equipment lists and webpages.