Solar combiner with integrated string current monitoring
US8466706B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 17, 2010 |
| Grant date | Jun 18, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 23, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH02J13/00
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A combiner that calculates energy produced by each panel feed during the daytime, and calculates a resistance value needed to calculate the energy by injecting a known current into each panel feed at nighttime and measuring the resulting voltage across a resistive element in each panel feed. A voltage tap across the protection device in each panel feed allows logic and control circuitry to measure the voltage across each protection device. At nighttime, a known current is injected into each panel feed and the voltage across each protection device is measured. Plugging the current and voltage into Ohm's Law, a resistance of each protection device is calculated, then that resistance value is used during the daytime to calculate energy produced by each string in real time and to monitor each string's performance. When an individual string's performance wanes, an alarm is indicated to help the operator troubleshoot which individual panel(s) within the string is responsible for that string's underperformance.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.