Method and apparatus for determining a maximum power point of photovoltaic cells
US7256566B2 · kind B2 · utility
328Cited by
28References
26Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 30, 2004 |
| Grant date | Aug 14, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 4, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E10/56
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The maximum power point (MPP) of a photovoltaic array that can be coupled to power inverter is determined. A capacitor on a DC-bus side of the inverter is used as a load from which I-V characteristics of the photovoltaic array can be generated. The photovoltaic array is connected to the capacitor, which has been previously discharged by a bleed down resistor. Short circuit current, open circuit voltage, and values of current and voltage as the capacitor charges are determined and used to generate I-V characteristics of the photovoltaic array. From the I-V characteristics, the MPP can be calculated.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.