The challenge of running grids on increasingly variable renewable supply has put grid-forming technology high on the European agenda, and the question of whether large battery systems can credibly deliver it is now being answered in testing. Sungrow has become the first company to have its grid-forming capabilities at utility scale independently certified, following a 138-hour test programme conducted by TÜV Rheinland across 14 distinct grid scenarios.
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Announced in April, the certification used a purpose-built 30 MW simulation platform capable of reproducing extreme grid conditions that are difficult to model on paper and impossible to risk in the field. Three results stood out. In a full blackout scenario, with all external power disconnected from the site, the Sungrow system restored voltage and restarted the installation within 19 seconds, recovering loads and infrastructure without external support. The company describes this as an industry-leading black-start capability at GW scale, of obvious interest to network operators contemplating the gradual retirement of conventional thermal plant.
Where conventional inverters give up
Under simulated short-circuit conditions involving real arc faults, the system held its connection and continued to deliver fault current with a 10 ms response time, where conventional installations would typically disconnect. And in tests of inertia response, where grid-following inverters tend to lose stability under sudden disturbances, the Sungrow system maintained continuous operation and restored frequency stability within milliseconds.A further eleven tests, covering switching between grid-connected and island operation, load switching and oscillation damping, were also passed.
"Drawing on two decades of experience with grid-forming technology and a fundamental understanding of energy system stability, Sungrow has built a 30 MW large-scale simulation platform and tested real extreme scenarios," said Henry Liu, General Manager of the Microgrid and Grid Solutions Center at Sungrow. "These results confirm our grid-forming capabilities and mark a decisive step towards the large-scale rollout of these technologies."
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In parallel, Sungrow's full energy storage portfolio has completed the Notified Body conformity assessment under the EU Battery Regulation (EU 2023/1542), again with TÜV Rheinland (NB no. 1008). This makes the company the first globally to have cleared the NB assessment across utility-scale, commercial and industrial, and residential storage segments. The assessment covered safety standards, labelling and marking obligations, restrictions on hazardous substances, performance and durability, and battery management parameters including state of health and service life, a notably broad sweep that reflects the regulation's reach. (TF)
