Polytechnic University of Milan researchers use PV inverters to supply reactive power to Milan's grid at night

Type: Supply Agreement · Technology: Solar · Country: Italy · Capacity: 500 kVAr · Announced: 2026-09-08

Researchers at the Polytechnic University of Milan, operating under the PoliGrid project, used photovoltaic inverters to supply 500 kilovolt-ampere reactive (kVAr) of inductive reactive power to Milan's distribution network during nighttime hours. The trial, conducted on the night of September 8-9, 2026, was part of Unareti's MindFlex pilot project and demonstrated how existing solar assets can support voltage regulation even when not generating electricity. The inverters, specifically Huawei SUN2000 models controlled via Huawei SmartLogger 3000 units, delivered reactive power for four consecutive hours from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m., with the system continuously adjusting setpoints relative to a calculated baseline. The mechanism remunerated capacity availability at euros per kVAr per hour during Italy's F3 tariff band (11 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays), enabling the university to generate additional revenue while largely limited to inverter losses and wear. The demonstration was coordinated through LePo, an energy management system developed by Maurizio Delfanti's research group in collaboration with the Energy and Environment Laboratory of Piacenza, and formed part of the SIMBIOsi project funded by the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security. The researchers noted that while the ability of PV inverters to regulate reactive power is technically established, the principal obstacles to large-scale deployment remain enabling functionality across a wide asset base and ensuring resources can be controlled, aggregated, and monetized. The test formed part of SIMBIOsi, a project funded by the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE).

Counterparties

Source article

📈 The Sherpa Signal — one notable infrastructure deal a day.