SunEdison, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), SatCon Technology and Xantrex Technology all support the adoption of utility industry standard ANSI C12.
The adoption of ANSI C12 at the inverter level will standardize detailed system-level output reporting for solar photovoltaic power plants and hybrid grid systems, the companies say. Currently, utilities and solar providers measure AC power output at the meter to the ANSI C12 standard, but not to the inverter level.
According to the companies, implementing the standard will allow more consistent reporting for ease of integration onto the electrical power grid in the same manner as other utility-grade equipment. This will provide greater operational scalability for solar energy services providers, utilities and customers managing their own power plants.
‘To simplify the process of installing, operating and maintaining solar energy systems, we recommend that other utilities also support the adoption of the ANSI C12 standard,’ says Jon Bertolino, SMUD's superintendent of renewable generation. ‘Use of standards is an important step in meeting the industry's goals to integrate renewable energy into our portfolio of resources.’
