Staged Stowage of Solar Trackers and Method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020162015-A1
Application number	US-201816196817-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 20, 2018
Priority date	Nov 20, 2018
Publication date	May 21, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods and systems of managing dynamic response to wind in a solar tracker system are provided. The method includes determining a wind speed, comparing the wind speed to a predetermined threshold value to determine if the wind speed equals or exceeds the predetermined threshold, positioning a windward most solar tracker to a predetermined angle based on the comparing, and positioning a leeward most solar tracker to the predetermined angle based on the comparing. The solar trackers are positioned at the predetermined angle at a predetermined interval starting at the windward most solar tracker and the remaining solar trackers remain in a normal operating condition.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A method of managing dynamic response to wind in a solar tracker, the method comprising:
determining a wind speed; comparing the wind speed to a predetermined threshold value to determine if the wind speed equals or exceeds the predetermined threshold; positioning a windward most solar tracker to a predetermined angle based on the comparing; and positioning a leeward most solar tracker to the predetermined angle based on the comparing; wherein solar trackers are positioned at the predetermined angle at a predetermined interval starting at the windward most solar tracker; and wherein the remaining solar trackers remain in a normal operating condition.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining includes a gradated series of wind speeds.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined angle includes a gradated series of angles.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined threshold value includes a gradated series of thresholds.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined interval is every fourth solar tracker.

6 . A method of managing dynamic response to wind in a solar tracker, the method comprising:
determining a wind speed; comparing the wind speed to a predetermined threshold value to determine if the wind speed equals or exceeds the predetermined threshold; and positioning a first and a second solar tracker to a first predetermined angle and a second predetermined angle based on the comparing.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the second predetermined angle is rotated in an opposing angle to the first predetermined angle.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the method further includes:
determining a position of the first solar tracker; determining a position of the second solar tracker; determining a shading of the first and second solar tracker; communicating the position of the first and second solar tracker; and positioning at least one of the first and second solar tracker based on the determined position of adjacent solar trackers to reduce the shading.

9 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the communicating includes wireless communication.

10 . A solar tracker system comprising:
a solar tracker including a plurality of solar modules, each of the solar modules being spatially configured to face in a normal manner in an on sun position in an incident direction of electromagnetic radiation derived from the sun; wherein the solar modules include: a tracker controller including:
a processor;
a memory with instructions stored thereon;
a power supply configured to provide power to the tracker controller; and
a motor controller;
wherein the tracker controller is configured track the sun position; wherein the tracker controller is configured to determine wind speed, wherein the processor compares wind speed to a predetermined threshold value to determine if wind speed equals or exceeds the predetermined threshold and positioned a windward most solar tracker to a predetermined angle based on the comparing; wherein solar trackers are positioned at the predetermined angle at a predetermined interval starting at the windward most solar tracker; wherein the processor positioned a leeward most solar tracker to the predetermined angle based on the comparing; and wherein the remaining solar trackers remain in a normal operating condition.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the determining includes a gradated series of wind speeds.

12 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the predetermined angle includes a gradated series of angles.

13 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the predetermined threshold value includes a gradated series of thresholds.

14 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the predetermined interval is every fourth solar tracker.

Assignees

• Nextracker Inc

Inventors

• Upfill-Brown Stuart
• Guha Tushar
• Morin Jacob Mark

Classifications

• H02S20/32 Primary

  specially adapted for solar tracking · CPC title

• H02J3/385

  Electricity · mapped topic

• Y02E10/47

  Mountings or tracking · CPC title

• F24S30/425

  Horizontal axis · CPC title

• F24S50/20

  for tracking · CPC title