Dynamically reconfigurable photovoltaic system
US9356173B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 29, 2013 |
| Grant date | May 31, 2016 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 12, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E10/56
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A PV system composed of sub-arrays, each having a group of PV cells that are electrically connected to each other. A power management circuit for each sub-array has a communications interface and serves to connect or disconnect the sub-array to a programmable power grid. The power grid has bus rows and bus columns. A bus management circuit is positioned at a respective junction of a bus column and a bus row and is programmable through its communication interface to connect or disconnect a power path in the grid. As a result, selected sub-arrays are connected by selected power paths to be in parallel so as to produce a low system voltage, and, alternately in series so as to produce a high system voltage that is greater than the low voltage by at least a factor of ten.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.