Fast and accurate grid signal frequency estimation is a very important issue in the control of renewable energy systems. Important factors that influence the estimation accuracy include the A/D converter parameters in the inverter control system. This paper presents the influence of the number of A/D converter bits b, the phase shift of the grid signal relative to the time window, the width of the time window relative to the grid signal period (expressed as a cycle in range (CiR) parameter) and the number of N samples obtained in this window with the A/D converter on the developed estimation method results. An increase in the number b by 8 decreases the estimation error by approximately 256 times. The largest estimation error occurs when the signal module maximum is in the time window center (for small values of CiR) or when the signal value is zero in the time window center (for large values of CiR). In practical applications, the dominant component of the frequency estimation error is the error caused by the quantization noise, and its range is from approximately 8×10-10 to 6×10-4.

This paper crowns efforts, made by its author, aiming in showing and proving that the current formula for calculation of the spectra of output signals at A/D converters requires a correcting factor in it. A number of partial results obtained and published in the last years are referred to here. They paved the way to a fully satisfactory and correct result; it is presented in this work. The corrected formula for spectrum calculation is derived using a description of the output signal of an A/D converter by means of the so-called Dirac comb, however not in a direct form, but with taking into account physical reality. In addition, the paper contains a number of interpretative remarks, comments, and explanations - clarifying those matters that have so far been omitted in analyses of the sampling process, despite the fact that they raised various types of doubts.