Will Inverters Compete With Storage? Will They Take Over the Grid?

[kristopher]

Will Inverters Compete With Storage? Will They Take Over the Grid?
Facing a price crunch, inverter makers seek to expand functionality.


SAN FRANCISCO --- Who needs energy storage when you have a smart inverter?

Battery banks and other energy storage technologies essentially absorb power produced by solar panels and wind farms and distribute it to the grid in a smooth, orderly fashion. Smart inverters, meanwhile, convert DC power from panels and turbines and then deliver it to the grid in a smooth, orderly fashion through the magic of networking and communications. In other words, the process is the same, but the smart inverter is probably cheaper.

"An inverter can act like a capacitor," said Owen Schelenz, an lead engineer at General Electric, speaking at a solar electronics symposium at Intersolar in San Francisco this week. "Energy storage is still unproven technology. Should it be at a photovoltaic power plant or a substation?"

Inverters can also ameliorate voltage dips and spikes to stabilize the grid, he added. GE's inverters in the wind market already provide this sort of functionality, he said.

Inverters and solar electronics...

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/will-inverters-compete-with-storage

[PoliticAverse]

1. This article is begging for a rewrite so that it is understandable. n/t

[Kolesar]

2. I suppose that the inverter will be programmed to modulate the current output to match demand

Under the control of a machine that makes big decisions
programmed by fellows with compassion and vision.

[kristopher]

3. Perhaps it isn't the article...

[PoliticAverse]

4. So inverters really do work through 'magic' then?... n/t

[kristopher]

5. Like I said, perhaps it isn't the article...

[PoliticAverse]

6. Maybe I'm just against "Inverter nirvana"... n/t

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[oldhippie]

8. I agree .........

I'm pretty up to date with PV technology, both residential and commercial scale. It seems like the writer never made the connection between the headline and what was written in the article. The "inverter can act like a capacitor" remark is never explained. Not a very good article in my estimation.

[kristopher]

9. Do you know the need of the grid for storage?