Testing and performance analysis of 1KW locally made grid-tie photovoltaic inverter using thin film solar panel

It is mandatory in Bangladesh to install solar panel on the rooftop of a newly build apartment or factory in order to get utility connection from the service provider. The most cost-effective and efficient way of producing energy using solar panel is to connect the panels to the utility grid through Grid Tie Inverter (GTI). GTI is one of the most important components of the grid tie solar system that basically converts dc power from the solar panel into ac power; synchronizing the phase, frequency and voltage of the utility grid. Presently almost all the GTI uses in Bangladesh are imported from other countries and it is very expensive. A low cost 1 kW grid tie inverter for solar PV module has been designed and implemented in the power electronic laboratory of the university. Physical demonstration was made by installing 1 kW Thin Film PV modules on the rooftop of the university building and setting up the inverter and others measuring equipments inside the lab. Based on the experimental data, the performance of the system is analyzed and presented in this paper.