The first Czech accredited inverter compliance testing laboratory

The accredited testing facility for verifying the compliance of inverters at FEKT VUT is the first of its kind in the Czech Republic and complies with legislative measures in our country. Its main purpose is to serve inverter distributors planning to introduce their products to the market and install them in the Czech Republic, as well as installation companies.

"By expanding our collaboration with the Institute of Electrical Power Engineering at FEKT VUT, we are entering into another segment of services in the field of testing and certification of energy devices. Thanks to this highly specialized testing facility, we are expanding our services for photovoltaic equipment. Currently, these are tests and certifications primarily intended for photovoltaic power plants, but in the future, they will include other technical equipment from this area. The field of photovoltaics is being added to our other segments such as hydrogen energy, fuel cells, biomass, and nuclear energy. We are dynamically adapting to changes in the energy mix that the current world brings. I believe that we will continue to be a strong partner for Czech and global manufacturers of energy equipment, as we have been for the past 100 years," mentioned Tomáš Hruška, CEO of the Strojírenský zkušební ústav, s.p.

Antonín Heitl, Manager of the Electrical Equipment Section at SZÚ, states: "After successfully completing the tests, company representatives will receive an inverter compliance certificate from an accredited laboratory, which will be recognized by all Czech distribution system operators."

This new testing facility will assess the compliance of inverters with the requirements of distribution system operation rules (PPDS) and connection conditions of relevant distribution system operators (PDS) solely for operation in the Czech Republic. The methodology used for testing is currently accredited for inverters up to 100 kW (including production modules of categories A1 and A2 in the Czech Republic) and is relevant for the following components: photovoltaic grid inverters, hybrid inverters in production mode, battery storage system inverters in production mode, in single-phase, two-phase, or three-phase configurations.

In the past, in the Czech environment, a simple declaration or confirmation from the supplier or manufacturer of the inverter was often sufficient to verify compliance. However, practical experience has shown that these documents may not always ensure an adequate level of reliability and safety for the operation of the power grid. This situation could jeopardize the stability and safety of the entire system.

"Currently, any operator of a power plant, including photovoltaic ones, intending to connect it to the distribution system in the Czech environment, must demonstrate compliance with PPDS, which incorporates requirements from European legislation, and consequently Czech technical standards. This requirement also applies to key components of the manufacturing equipment, such as photovoltaic inverters, primarily used to convert DC electricity from photovoltaic panels into AC electricity usable in the power grid," explains Petr Mastný from the Institute of Electrical Power Engineering.

"Obtaining accreditation for a new testing facility is a demanding process. Additionally, inverters are highly complex devices performing multiple functions and must be reliable. This is evidenced by the fact that up to 23 tests may be required depending on the power output of the factory to issue a certificate. Therefore, we have partnered with SZÚ, which has extensive experience in conducting accredited tests in various fields. Their representatives provided administrative expertise, which was easily applied to the field of inverter compliance testing. On the other hand, FEKT VUT is responsible for conducting the tests with qualified personnel on the unique testing equipment developed at the Institute of Electrical Power Engineering," details Petr Toman, the Head of the Institute.

"The commencement of operation of the accredited testing laboratory is a significant contribution that will lead to an improvement in the quality of installed inverters. This will support the future stability, safety, and reliability of the grid, which is crucial for the transition to modern energy. ERÚ welcomes and highly appreciates this asset," says Martina Krčová, a Member of the Energy Regulatory Office (ERÚ) board.