Author Archives: Administrator

About Administrator

Principal of Pterra Consulting

Solar Photovoltaic Inverters and Ride-Through Capability

In study after study, we (Pterra) are encountering this seemingly mounting issue of ride-through capability in solar photovoltaic (“PV”) inverters. For now, the matter is isolated to frequency ride-through in small grids such as those that may be found in the Hawaiian islands. However, there is potential for this to be critical in even larger systems as the number of inverter-based PV arrays interconnecting to existing distribution and transmission systems increases. Continue reading

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Can wind turbines and solar inverters contribute to frequency control?

Renewable energy resources such as solar and wind, produce power in a manner that generally does not contribute to frequency control of interconnected power systems. However, both wind turbines and solar inverters have the important characteristic of fast, programmable controls. The question then comes up: Is it possible for these power sources to participate in frequency control response of interconnections? Continue reading

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Integrating Solar PV Power with Existing Distribution Circuits; Part 1

A wave of new solar photovoltaic (“PV”) installations for power generation is hitting many distribution circuits around the country.  These installations are typically in the range of 10-2000 kW and comprise of a set of solar PV arrays or trays … Continue reading

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Transient Overvoltages in Wind Farms, and a Case Study

In various Blogs on this site, we have talked about unique technical issues associated with integrating wind farms into existing grids.  This Blog now addresses the matter of transient overvoltages, or TOV, specifically with respect to potential risks to customers … Continue reading

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Transmission bases for sizing wind and solar projects

Unlike base load power plants such as nuclear and some coal plants which operate near full capacity for days at a time, solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind farms are variable resources whose output is dependent on the minute-by-minute change in … Continue reading

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Training Schedules for Generation X

Pterra conducts training in power technology subjects, not as a primary line, but in response to a perceived need.  Occasionally, work in analytical consulting leads to knowledge and skills that clients and associates desire to acquire.  And we are more … Continue reading

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An Anniversary

Yesterday was the 7th anniversary of the founding of Pterra, LLC.  The original team of 5 who started this journey remain, with some worthy additions.  All have grown somewhat older, hopefully wiser, and after all the contingencies encountered through the … Continue reading

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Report from the 2011 PSLF Users’ Group Meeting

by Ric Austria If only for this one new feature, the trip to attend the meeting (held April 28-29 in sunny Orlando, Florida) was worth it.  The new feature is … PSLF now allows “continuous” tap solutions for phase angle … Continue reading

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Two Conferences in April and May 2011

In the coming weeks, we are looking forward to participating in two conferences.  Both are related to the power industry albeit in vastly different aspects. The first conference is the 2011 GE-PSLF User’s Conference, April 28-29 in Orlando, FL. General … Continue reading

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Training Schedule

So … we’ve completed our first scheduled course for the year - Distributed Generation (DG) Analysis and Applications Course, and are gearing up for the next 3 months of classes. The DG class, of course, was a first-time course and reflects … Continue reading

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