New IEEE standard facilitates grid-connection in US

For the first time, a working group, led by John Stevens from Sandia National Laboratories, has developed a US standard allowing interconnections of non-utility-owned distributed generation equipment. 

With the IEEE 929 standard approved, utilities can’t keep PV power producers away from their grids anymore, a practice often done in the past under the excuse that the systems could lower the grid quality (harmonics) or could cause security dangers if the inverter continued operation when the grid had been switched off (islanding).

Sandia National Laboratories
John Stevens
phone +1/505/844-7717
www.sandia.gov

jwsteve@sandia.gov

Michael Schmela
© PHOTON International, March 2000