IEEE Approves New PV Standard

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) has approved a standard for electrical inverters used to connect photovoltaic (PV) generators to the utility grid. John Stevens, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico, chaired the working group, which included about 25 members representing the utility industry, the PV industry, PV inverter manufacturers, and PV researchers. The new IEEE Standard 929-2000 provides a standard to which PV interconnection hardware can be designed, thus removing the requirement for specialized hardware for different utility jurisdictions. It is complemented by the new Underwriters Laboratory testing procedure UL 1741 that is design to verify compliance with the Standard. For more information contact John Stevens at 505/844-3698, jwsteve@sandia.gov.