A new generation of inverters is on the rise. Hybrid inverters have multiple functions in the home energy system: In addition to their standard task of converting solar power into alternating current, they use excess power to charge battery storage systems or distribute it to the household, electric vehicles or heat pumps on demand. Modern hybrid inverters can even provide backup power in case of a power grid failure.
Hybrid inverters are an all-in-one solution for prosumers, which, in combination with a matching home energy management system, optimize and coordinate the interplay between PV system, energy storage, electric vehicle with home charging infrastructure and heat pump.
In an energy system dominated by renewable energies, grid-forming inverters increasingly include frequency stabilization and voltage compensation functions – up to now, these functions have mostly been performed by synchronous machines in large thermal power plants. Combinations with large battery energy storage systems (BESS) are now forging new paths.
In Blackhillock, Scotland (UK), a 300 MW/600 MWh pilot plant is being built that is set to be one of the largest in the UK, and a global pioneer in the provision of grid stability services through grid-connected battery storage systems. The system will be connected with a distribution grid operator that acts as off-taker of grid stability services.