Advanced inverters

Optimizing power quality, system reliability, and ratepayer economics

Advanced inverters will increasingly be required for distributed solar generators across the country. The Clean Coalition is working to ensure that advanced inverters are treated as a cost-effective tool to optimize power quality, system reliability, and ratepayer economics through distributed voltage regulation.

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Enhancing power system reliability

While there is clear recognition that advanced inverters offer grid benefits, how to fairly allocate their costs and compensate their benefits is a topic of hot debate. Objective experts recognize that advanced inverters enhance overall power system reliability. The reactive power capabilities of advanced inverters enable distributed voltage control, which significantly outperforms centralized voltage control. Reactive power suffers far greater line losses than real power, and those losses increase as a line is more heavily loaded. Distributed reactive power from advanced inverters improves power system efficiency by minimizing reactive power line losses and reducing line congestion.

Clean Coalition on advanced inverters

Recovering Costs and Compensating Benefits

This Clean Coalition article from 2013, published on SolarServer, is still a definitive resource making the case for advanced inverters.

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Unlocking Grid Flexibility – Updates on Flexible Service Connection & 2030.5 CSIP Test Procedures –…

Ben Schwartz of the Clean Coalition presented during this webinar on 17 April 2025.

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Microgrid Knowledge 2025 Conference – 15-17 April 2025

The Clean Coalition was a partner organization for this event, which took place on 15-17 April 2025 in Dallas, TX.

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Dillon Beach, Tomales local power projects get grants

The Point Reyes Light reports on Solar Microgrid grants from PG&E, including the Tomales application submitted by Clean Coalition partnered with CLAM, West Marin Climate Action and an array of community groups.

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