Inverter, method for operating an inverter and energy supply installation with an inverter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10027247-B2
Application number	US-201314758974-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 22, 2013
Priority date	Oct 23, 2012
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to an inverter with at least one DC input for connecting to an energy producing device and/or an energy store and with a multiphase AC output for connecting to a local energy distribution network, which is coupled to a likewise multiphase master energy supply network via a switching device. The inverter is characterised in that it has a control terminal for connecting to the switching device such that individual phases of the local energy distribution network can be selectively connected to or disconnected from corresponding phases of the energy supply network via the control terminal, and is intended, in the event of a network error of at least one but not all phases of the energy supply network, to separate, via the control terminal, the at least one defective phase of the energy supply network from the corresponding phase of the local energy distribution network and to supply the at least one separated phase of the local energy distribution network with network-compatible alternating voltage. The invention also relates to a method for operating such an inverter and to an energy supply installation with an inverter.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An inverter comprising:
at least one DC connection for connection to an energy generation device and/or an energy storage device and comprising a polyphase AC connection for connection to a local energy distribution grid, which is coupled to a likewise polyphase superordinate energy supply grid via a switching device;
a control connection for connection to the switching device such that individual phases of the local energy distribution grid are connectable to corresponding phases of the energy supply grid or are disconnectable from one another selectively via the control connection; and
wherein the inverter is configured to disconnect, in the event of a grid fault on at least one, but not all, of the phases of the energy supply grid, the at least one faulty phase of the energy supply grid from the corresponding phase of the local energy distribution grid via the control connection, and to apply a grid-compliant AC voltage to the at least one disconnected phase of the local energy distribution grid.

2. The inverter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the switching device is integrated in the inverter.

3. The inverter as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a signal connection for connection to a grid monitoring device configured to selectively identify the grid fault on each individual one of the phases of the energy supply grid.

4. The inverter as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the grid monitoring device is integrated in the inverter.

5. The inverter as claimed in claim 1 , said inverter being configured to use power provided by the energy generation device and/or the energy storage device for application to the at least one disconnected phase of the local energy distribution grid.

6. The inverter as claimed claim 1 , said inverter being configured to draw power from a non-disconnected phase of the local energy distribution grid for application to the at least one disconnected phase of the local energy distribution grid.

7. A method for operating an inverter connected to an energy generation device and/or an energy storage device via at least one DC connection and connected to a local energy distribution grid via a polyphase AC connection, said local energy distribution grid being coupled to a likewise polyphase superordinate energy supply grid via a switching device, said method comprising:
monitoring whether there is a grid fault on at least one phase, but not all phases, of the energy supply grid;
actuating the switching device and disconnecting the at least one faulty phase of the energy supply grid from the corresponding phase of the local energy distribution grid upon detecting a grid fault during the monitoring; and
applying grid-compliant AC voltage to the at least one disconnected phase of the local energy distribution grid by means of the inverter.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein a signal for actuating the switching device is output by the inverter.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein power required for application to the at least one disconnected phase of the local energy distribution grid is drawn from the energy generation device and/or from the energy storage device and is converted from direct current into alternating current by the inverter.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein excess power of the energy generation device is fed by the inverter into non-disconnected phases of the local energy distribution grid.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein missing power for application to the at least one disconnected phase of the local energy distribution grid is drawn from at least one non-disconnected phase of the local energy distribution grid by the inverter and fed into the at least one disconnected phase.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the transmission of power from the at least one non-disconnected phase into the at least one disconnected phase of the local energy distribution grid takes place via a DC link of the inverter.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the withdrawal of power from the energy storage device is controlled in such a way that the loading of the non-disconnected phases remains below a loading threshold value of a fuse.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the proportion of the power which is drawn from the non-disconnected phases is determined depending on the state of charge of the energy storage device or the power capacity of the energy generation device or the loadability of the power sections of the inverter which are assigned to non-disconnected phases, respectively.

15. A polyphase energy supply installation comprising at least one inverter, at least one energy generation device and/or an energy storage device, and a switching device to couple the energy supply installation to a likewise polyphase superordinate energy supply grid, a grid monitoring device, and a control device configured to actuate the switching device and/or the inverter, depending on signals from the grid monitoring device, in order to implement a method, comprising:
monitoring whether there is a grid fault on at least one phase, but not all phases, of the energy supply grid using the grid monitoring device;
actuating the switching device and disconnecting the at least one faulty phase of the energy supply grid from the corresponding phase of a local energy distribution grid upon detecting a grid fault during the monitoring; and
applying grid-compliant AC voltage to the at least one disconnected phase of the local energy distribution grid by means of the inverter.

Assignees

• Sma Solar Technology Ag
• Sma Solar Tech

Inventors

• Allert Claus
• Buleo Thorsten
• Hopf Markus

Classifications

• H02J2101/24

  Photovoltaics · CPC title

• H02J3/388

  Arrangements for the handling of islanding, e.g. for disconnection or for avoiding the disconnection of power · CPC title

• Y02P80/14

  District level solutions, i.e. local energy networks · CPC title

• Y02E40/50

  Arrangements for eliminating or reducing asymmetry in polyphase networks · CPC title

• H02J3/26 Primary

  Arrangements for eliminating or reducing asymmetry in polyphase networks · CPC title