Risk Analysis of Islanded Operation

The potential for a PV system to operate in islanded mode after a section of the distribution system has been isolated from the main supply has always been of major concern to electricity companies because of the safety implications. Islanding of individual and multiple inverters has been demonstrated under laboratory conditions, although islanding under real network conditions on the LV network has not previously been reported.

The Strategic PV Network Study carried out a systematic process of risk identification and assessment to determine the significance of the safety risks. The process included an analysis of failure modes, effects and criticality, establishing the potential consequences of hazards in order to provide an estimate of the level of risk exposure.