Customer Case | NGI PV Array Simulator Enables Efficient Testing for a Global Top Inverter Manufacturer

Global PV Market Growth Drives Rising Demand for Inverter Testing

A major industry forecast has arrived. According to the latest data released by the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA), during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, global annual newly installed photovoltaic (PV) capacity is expected to exceed 725GW, while China alone is projected to lead the world with an average annual installation scale surpassing 238GW. Looking ahead, as a cornerstone of the global energy transition, the photovoltaic industry continues to demonstrate strong and sustained growth momentum.

The steady expansion of the PV market has directly driven increasing demand for photovoltaic inverter testing. As the “heart” of a PV power generation system, the inverter’s performance determines overall system efficiency and operational stability. Consequently, inverter testing has become a key focus for both manufacturers and third-party testing institutions.

In this article, we share how NGI’s PV Array Simulation Power Supply is applied by Customer S, a global top-tier inverter brand.

Testing Challenges Faced by a Leading Global Inverter Manufacturer

Customer S is a global leader in photovoltaic inverters and one of the earliest major enterprises to enter the PV inverter industry. Its product portfolio covers photovoltaic and energy storage inverters, system monitoring solutions, EV charging systems, and energy management platforms. The company has accumulated deep technical expertise and built a broad global customer base across the PV and new energy sectors.

As the photovoltaic industry matures worldwide, Customer S encountered the following testing challenges when validating its inverter products:

Diverse Regulatory Requirements

With PV becoming a primary direction of global energy development, different countries and regions have established differentiated standards in grid connection requirements and performance testing methodologies. The customer’s inverter products must simultaneously comply with regulatory and testing standards across Europe, Asia, the Americas, and other regions.

Extensive Functional Requirements

Beyond conventional testing requirements, the solution must also support:

• Flexible multi-channel grouping

• Weather condition simulation

• Partial shading simulation

• Custom curve configuration

• Automated report export

These requirements demand a highly flexible and powerful software platform.

High Voltage and High Power Demand

High efficiency and high-voltage operation have become key industry development trends. The customer’s inverter products currently require input voltage capability up to 1500V, with future development targeting even higher levels, such as 2000V.

NGI PV Inverter Testing Solution

To address these challenges, NGI recommended the N35500 Series PV Array Simulation Power Supply, combined with the NS91000 PV Simulation Software, forming a comprehensive PV inverter testing solution.

This solution offers significant advantages in regulatory coverage, functional flexibility, and high-voltage/high-power output capability, meeting both current and future R&D and validation requirements.

Comprehensive Regulatory Coverage

The system integrates built-in curve models compliant with major international standards, including:

• EN 50530

• Sandia

• CGC

It also supports user-defined custom curves, enabling efficient evaluation of both static and dynamic Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) efficiency.

Advanced Multi-Functional Capabilities

The PV simulation software supports:

• Weather condition simulation

• Partial shading simulation with customizable shading range and scenarios

• Coordinated control of multiple devices

• Up to 120 channels supported

• Flexible channel grouping with unified parameter configuration per group

• One-click start/stop control for grouped operation

This ensures high-efficiency testing workflows and simplified operation.

Wide Output Range and High Power Density

Based on a system-level thermal management design philosophy, the N35500 Series DC power supply achieves outstanding performance through optimized component selection, main circuit topology, and airflow channel design.

A standard 3U 19-inch chassis delivers up to:

• 2250 V

• 42 kW source and sink capability

Multiple units can be paralleled to achieve megawatt-level (MW) output, meeting ultra-high-power testing requirements.