What is Anti-Islanding & Islanding ?.

Is a mandatory safety feature in grid-tied solar inverters that automatically shuts down power from being Exported into the state grid during a power outage. Is a type of electrical protection for State-Grid connected Hybrid Inverters that control the Flow of Energy from one or many sources such as Batteries, Solar, Wind, Hydro and fuel Generators.

Anti-Islanding ensures that a Micro Power Grid system Disconnects all electrical supply into the State-Grid, in the event of a State Grid outage/blackout.

Anti-Islanding protection exists to protect persons working on State grid infrastructure, when a State-Grid distribution fault or maintenance occurs.

Why do we need Anti-Islanding Protection?

Islanding can be dangerous to utility workers, who may not realize that a circuit is energised, and it may prevent automatic re-connection of devices. For that reason, inverters must detect islanding and immediately stop SENDING power into the State Distribution Grid, this is referred to as Anti-islanding protection.

The most common example of islanding is where a Micro Power Grid (MPG) inverter has any form of energy from solar, wind, battery etc. generating electricity into the MPG inverter if connected into the State Grid infrastructure.

In the case of a blackout, the MPG will continue to deliver power to the inverter as long as the sun is shining or any other form of Power is being Generated from Batteries, Wind, Aqua or fuel Generator. In this case, the MPG Power supply line is an "island" with power, connected & supported by un-powered state-grid lines.

Can Solar Only Inverter be connect to Batteries ?

Directly NO, however there are two simple ways to do this, and there is one thing that you will need to consider after/when you install Energy Storage into your Micro Grid, being

How Connect Batteries to a Solar Only Inverter;

We consider the simplest method is leave your existing Solar Only Inverter in place and use it to Export any Excess Energy you Generate into the State Grid for a Feed-in-Tariff (FIT), and AC connect one or more Hybrid Inverters in Parallel, if wanting 2-Phase or 3-phase power, see this article on AC Coupled System, it shows images & explains how to do this.
Replacing your Solar Only Inverter with a Hybrid Inverter may not be needed id you DC Couple one or more Hybrid inverters to provide single, two or three phase Power, and utilise Batteries or other Power sources like Wind, Aqua or a fuelled Generator, see this article on DC Coupled System that shows images how to do this.

For those reason inverters that are designed to supply power into the state-grid, are generally required to have some sort of automatic Anti-islanding protection in them.

In an Off-grid Inverter system, the islanding feature is commonly Programmed Not to Export, and disconnects itself from exporting into the State grid, and forces the inverter to power the premises behind the Power meter. This was previously and often used as a Stand alone Power Station, that is able to Import Power from the State Grid, if the customer does Not want to use a fuel Generator when Solar & Energy Storage is depleted.

Islanding

Our LUX OFF-Grid inverters, don't have Anti-Islanding, however they have a function that permanently STOP the Export of all Energy.

Grid-interactive inverters are required to produce AC power that matches the existing power presented on the State grid. In particular, the voltage, frequency and synchronise phases of the feed the inverter connects to.

Islanding is commonly a self contained Off-Grid System, that's NOT reliant on the State Grid, until all other sources of Alternate Energy are depleted. (This subject can get deep)

Basically Islanding Protection is a way to KEEP the State Grid Safe for Workers & Infrastructure, in the event of a power disruption to the State-grid lines.

Our LUX inverters convert the varying DC current generated by solar panels into AC power that matches the grid supply. If the grid is disconnected, the voltage on the grid line would be expected to drop to zero, a clear indication of a service interruption (Black-out).

However, if you require energy independence you can install either an ON-Grid or OFF-Grid LUX inverter, meaning that the OFF-Grid Inverter needs to be Set NOT to Export any Energy, and either inverter have a AGS Function (Auto Generator Start), so that your Solar connect to the Inverter is still Charging your batteries if needed, and your system will always works independently of the State Grid.

Purchasing a Second or more Inverters allows each inverter to supply there maximum kW Consumption each, before needing either Solar, a Generator or the State Grid if more Power is required, we commonly advise Hi-Energy Consumers to install two inverters, as each will provide there maximum Energy, eg. a 5~6kW inverter will each provide 4kW, Plus what your Solar is Generation at the same time !

Exporting Energy via FIT is to return money based on what would normally Waster Energy, to cover the Cost of "State Grid Connection Charge" & Feed-in Tariff Rate the Retailers offer (P2P Energy is New).

We are AGAINST all Prosumers being Charge the $30 per Month to "Remain State-Grid Connected", as this means a Prosumer/Generator, have to first gift 375kWh of Energy per Month to break even, that is if the FIT is 8cents kWh, Only then will you start receiving a profit !

We strongly feel Prosumers should NOT be Charged a Connection Fee, as it is a mutual Two way street, as we are talking just the Wires to the nearest power pole, not the network !

An Off-Grid System, would only use the State Grid to Import or Export excess energy or Black-out proofing an Off-Grid System, and as such would Rarely be used for Importing, it is SMARTER sending what would Normally be Un-used ENERGY (as a Prosumer) into the state grid, ONLY when there is MORE than 9kWh per Day or 800kWh of Excess Energy per Quarter to break even!

Again, when the house's load matches the output of the solar array at the instant of the grid interruption, the panels can continue supplying power, which is used up by the house's load. In this case there is no obvious indication of an interruption.

Even when usage and generation are matched, the failure of the state grid will result in additional transient signals, there will almost always be a short decrease in line voltage, which will indicate a potential fault. Such events can also be caused by normal events, like the starting of Hi-Amp electrical goods.

Ways to detect islanding without a large number of false trips is the subject of considerable research. Each way has some threshold that needs to be met before a state is considered to be a signal of State Grid interruption, which leads to a protection blind spot in the range of conditions where a real grid failure will be filtered out. These are several ways of detecting islanding.