Robustness analysis of the efficiency in PV inverters

During last years an increasing attention has been paid to the efficiency of grid-connected PV inverters. They are manufactured from a number of discrete components and by using a certain topology and control strategy. Hence, the performance of a certain PV inverter not only depends on the selected topology and control strategy but also on the characteristics of the employed components. The aim of this paper is evaluate the effect of physical variations associated to the main components on the overall efficiency of PV inverters. It is concluded that a statistical evaluation of the power converter provides a better understanding of the PV inverter performance and, in this sense, the definition of the European Efficiency must be reviewed in order to show the quality of the manufactured product.