The effectiveness of maximum power point trackers (MPPTs) is an important factor in the energy harvest economics of a PV system. Inverter manufacturers want to maximize the effectiveness of their MPPTs, and plant developers desire to choose inverters with the highest energy harvest to maximize their return on investment. However, comparing MPPTs against one another is challenging because the most common figure of merit, the MPPT efficiency, depends on the characteristics of the PV array and on the time variation of the irradiance. The commonly reported MPPT efficiency is essentially a static metric that does not translate well to performance under the wide range of real world conditions. To enable meaningful comparisons between MPPTs under both static and dynamic conditions, this paper proposes a standardized irradiance profile for use in determining MPPT efficiency. The proposed irradiance profile is designed to minimize bias in the results, maximize reproducibility, and be easy to use. The irradiance profile, its rationale, and its use are described herein.

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Detection and prevention of unintentional islands powered by distributed generators like photovoltaics remains a key concern of utility protection engineers, especially in highpenetration and grid-support environments. These evolving circumstances dictate that new island detection tools are needed. Synchrophasors are highly promising in this regard, but some in the community remain skeptical about them due to costs. This paper discusses synchrophasors, how they may be used to detect islands, their cost-reducing value-added features, and synchrophasor-based island detection methods.

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