Distributed vs. central inverters - a comparison of monitored PV systems

In recent years large commercial PV systems with distributed inverter have become more common. This paper compares the performance ratio of PV plants with central and distributed inverters. It lists the main decision criteria and arguments for each of the two options. The focus is set on a comparison of a sample of actual PV systems, representing both inverter layout types, regarding their annual performance ratio and the operational availability. All PV systems have been equipped with customised, high-quality monitoring systems from Fraunhofer ISE and have a few years of operation history. The paper presents the approach taken in the investigation and features a variety of facts based comparisons.