Simplified construction of a photovoltaic system with a consecutively placed system block

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10204179-B2
Application number	US-201214370779-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2012
Priority date	Jan 11, 2012
Publication date	Feb 12, 2019
Grant date	Feb 12, 2019

Abstract

A method for defining a structure of a photovoltaic system on a system surface with a local topology is provided, including: first placement of a block at a location on the system surface with the local topology; placing additional blocks at additional locations on the system surface without overlapping previously placed blocks, wherein prior to each placement, row spacing of the solar panels of each additional block is adapted to the topology at the location at which the respective additional block was placed, resulting in a change in the extension of the additional block in the direction of the column of solar panels of the additional block, and ending the placement of additional blocks if, by the placement of an additional block, the nominal capacity of a photovoltaic system corresponding to the structure were to be exceeded, or if no additional block can be placed without overlapping previously placed blocks.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computer-assisted method of constructing a photovoltaic system in a given system area with a local given topology, wherein the photovoltaic system comprises a multiplicity of solar panels, a plurality of DC-AC converters and at least one transformer station, wherein the solar panels are electrically connected to the DC-AC converters by cabling, and wherein the plurality of DC-AC converters are electrically connected by the cabling to the at least one transformer station, wherein a multiplicity of adaptive blocks is used to configure the photovoltaic system on a computer system from at least 80% of a nominal power of the photovoltaic system, and wherein a first one of the multiplicity of adaptive blocks represents in a memory of the computer system a first system block, wherein the first system block comprises the following components:
a first fixed number of solar panels and a first arrangement of the solar panels in a first fixed number of rows and columns, wherein the first arrangement comprises a first specification of row spacings between the rows;
a first DC-AC converter; and
a first access from an edge of the first system block to the DC-AC converter;

the method comprising:
a) representing the system area and the local given topology thereof in the memory of the computer system;
b) the computer system placing the first one of the adaptive blocks at a start location in the system area with the local given topology as represented in the memory of the computer system;
c) the computer system placing further ones of the adaptive blocks at further locations in the system area without overlapping with adaptive blocks already placed previously;
d) wherein, prior to a respective placing of the first and further adaptive blocks at respective locations in the system area, adapting the row spacings of the solar panels of each respective adaptive block to the topology and to a solar shadow angle at the location of the respective adaptive block in the system area to control shading of one row by another row of the respective adaptive block resulting in the adaptive block experiencing a size change based on the topology which extends the adaptive block in the column direction by lengthening or shortening the adaptive block as a result of changes in the row spacings, such that the placement in the system area of the further adaptive blocks is directly affected by the size change of the previously placed block to avoid overlap;
e) ending the placing of the further adaptive blocks if, by a placement of a further adaptive block, the nominal power of the photovoltaic system would be exceeded, or if no further adaptive block can be placed without overlapping adaptive blocks already placed previously in the system area;
f) repeating steps (b)-(e) for one or more different start locations resulting in a variety of layouts of producible photovoltaic systems; and
g) selecting a layout and installing the photovoltaic system in the system area corresponding to the selected layout, such that the installed photovoltaic system comprises multiple adaptive blocks, each placed and adapted for the local given topology.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
configuring a further structure of the photovoltaic system, wherein the multiplicity of the adaptive blocks further represents in the memory of the computer system a second system block, wherein the second system block comprises the following components:
a second fixed second number of solar panels and a second arrangement of the solar panels in a second fixed number of rows and columns, wherein the second arrangement comprises a second specification of row spacings between the rows;
a second DC-AC converter; and
a second access from an edge of the second system block to the second DC-AC converter.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the first system block and/or the second system block is/are L-shaped, or wherein not all rows of the first system block and/or of the second system block are completely occupied with solar panels.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein a planar extension of the first system block and/or of the second system block is a rectangle.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the number and arrangement of the solar panels of one of the first or second system blocks with a given size of the respective system block also predefines uniform column spacings of the solar panels.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising assembling the first system block and/or the second system block as a generator junction box block comprising a module of solar panels, and wherein one of the solar panels of the module comprises a generator junction box, to which all solar panels within the module are electrically connected.

7. The method as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising:
forming multiple groups of generator junction box blocks as represented by respective adaptive blocks, each generator junction box block comprising multiple solar panels electrically connected to a generator junction box;
placing a DC-AC converter instead of a solar panel in one of the generator junction box blocks in each formed group; and
electrically connecting the generator junction boxes of each group to inputs of the DC-AC converter in the group until all generator junction box blocks are grouped, placed in the system area, and electrically connected.

8. The method as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising
constructing one of the first or second system blocks, wherein a predefined DC-AC converter has a nominal power, from which the number of solar panels in the first or second system block is ascertained under consideration of a nominal power of a solar panel belonging to the first or second system block.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the multiplicity of adaptive blocks is used to configure the photovoltaic system from at least 90% to 95% of the nominal power of the photovoltaic system.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a remainder of the photovoltaic system up to 100% of the nominal power of the photovoltaic system is post-structured with at least one partial adaptive block or with a different adaptive block in order to complete the photovoltaic system.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least some of the adaptive blocks are mirrored about a central plane of a corresponding system block prior to the adaptation of the row spacings in said at least some of the adaptive blocks.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least some of the adaptive blocks to be placed are sheared, comprising offsetting rows of solar panels thereof to form a parallelogram shape, prior to the placing and prior to the corresponding adaptations of the row spacings.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein for the variety of layouts of producible photovoltaic systems, a plurality of technical variables is determined to enable a technical comparison of the variety of layouts of producible photovoltaic systems,
wherein the technical variables comprise one or more of nominal power of the system, annual yield in energy produced, angle of inclination of the panels, number of required components, complexity of wiring, and assembly and maintenance requirements of the system.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the variety of layouts of producible photovoltaic systems with their respective plurality of technical variables are stored in a database of the computer system for presentation on a display, a selection, a comparison with one another, or a selection based on optimization object

Assignees

• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Bischoff Martin
• Brandes Frederik
• Hennig Oliver
• Kufer Karl-Heinz
• Plociennik Kai
• Schule Ingmar

Classifications

• G06Q10/043 Primary

  Optimisation of two dimensional placement, e.g. cutting of clothes or wood · CPC title

• H02S20/00

  Supporting structures for PV modules · CPC title

• G06F30/00

  Computer-aided design [CAD] · CPC title

• G06F30/13 Primary

  Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads · CPC title

• G06F17/50 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic