Dynamically reconfigurable photovoltaic system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9531322-B2
Application number	US-201615133163-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2016
Priority date	Aug 31, 2012
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

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.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A photovoltaic (PV) system comprising:
a plurality of sub-arrays wherein each sub-array of the plurality of sub-arrays comprises:
a plurality of cells, wherein each cell of the plurality of cells comprises a plurality of junctions, wherein each junction of the plurality of junctions is configured to produce electricity by absorbing a different wavelength of light, and
a plurality of power management circuits, each power management circuit of the plurality of power management circuits comprises a power output, wherein a power management circuit of the plurality of power management circuit is coupled to at least one cell of the plurality of cells; and

a power grid to which the power output of each power management circuit of the plurality of power management circuits is coupled, wherein the power grid comprises a plurality of bus rows, a plurality of bus columns, and a plurality of bus management circuits,
wherein each bus row of the plurality of bus rows comprises a plurality of first bus group segments, each first bus group segment of the plurality of first bus group segments coupled in a first daisy chain manner by at least one bus management circuit of the plurality of bus management circuits;
wherein each bus column of the plurality of bus columns comprises a plurality of second bus group segments, each second bus group segment of the plurality of second bus group segments coupled in a second daisy chain manner by at least one bus management circuit of the plurality of bus management circuits; and
wherein a bus management circuit of the plurality of bus management circuits is coupled to at least one first bus group segment and at least one second bus group segment.

2. The photovoltaic (PV) system of claim 1 ,
wherein each of the plurality of first bus group segments and each of the plurality of second bus group segments comprises a plurality of bus conductors; and
wherein the bus management circuit is configured to electrically connect and disconnect a bus group segment of the at least one first bus group segment and the at least second bus group segment to an another bus group segment of the at least one first bus group segment and the at least second bus group segment.

3. The photovoltaic (PV) system of claim 1 , wherein the power management circuit comprises a plurality of input ports,
wherein the each junction of the plurality of junctions is coupled to a separate input port of the plurality of input ports of the power management circuit.

4. The photovoltaic (PV) system of claim 3 , wherein the power management circuit is configured to detect which one junction of the plurality of junctions is producing a highest power.

5. The photovoltaic (PV) cell of claim 4 , wherein the power management circuit is configured to connect in series a set of junctions of the plurality of junctions with the power output.

6. A photovoltaic (PV) system comprising:
a plurality of sub-arrays wherein each sub-array of the plurality of sub-arrays comprises:
a plurality of cells, wherein each cell of the plurality of cells comprises a plurality of junctions, wherein each junction of the plurality of junctions is configured to produce electricity by absorbing a different wavelength of light, and
a plurality of power management circuits, each power management circuit of the plurality of power management circuits comprises a power output, wherein a power management circuit of the plurality of power management circuit is coupled to at least one cell of the plurality of cells; and

a power grid to which the power output of each power management circuit of the plurality of power management circuits is coupled, wherein the power grid comprises a plurality of bus rows, a plurality of bus columns, and a plurality of bus management circuits,
wherein each bus row of the plurality of bus rows comprises a plurality of first bus group segments, each first bus group segment of the plurality of first bus group segments coupled in a first daisy chain manner by at least one bus management circuit of the plurality of bus management circuits;
wherein each bus column of the plurality of bus columns comprises a plurality of second bus group segments, each second bus group segment of the plurality of second bus group segments coupled in a second daisy chain manner by at least one bus management circuit of the plurality of bus management circuits;
wherein each of the plurality of first bus group segments and each of the plurality of second bus group segments comprises a plurality of bus conductors;
wherein a bus management circuit of the plurality of bus management circuits is coupled to at least one first bus group segment and at least one second bus group segment; and
wherein the bus management circuit is configured to electrically connect and disconnect a bus group segment of the at least one first bus group segment and the at least second bus group segment to an another bus group segment of the at least one first bus group segment and the at least second bus group segment.

7. The photovoltaic (PV) system of claim 6 , wherein the power management circuit comprises a plurality of input ports,
wherein the each junction of the plurality of junctions is coupled to a separate input port of the plurality of input ports of the power management circuit.

8. The photovoltaic (PV) system of claim 7 , wherein energy harvested by each junction of the plurality of cells is transferred to the power grid through the power output of the power management circuit.

9. The photovoltaic (PV) system of claim 7 , wherein the power management circuit is configured to detect which one junction of the plurality of junctions is producing a highest power.

10. The photovoltaic (PV) system of claim 7 , wherein the power management circuit is configured to detect which one junction of the plurality of junctions is producing a lowest power.

11. The photovoltaic (PV) system of claim 10 , wherein the power management circuit is configured to disconnect a junction producing the lowest power of the plurality of junctions is disconnected.

12. The photovoltaic (PV) system of claim 7 , wherein at least one power management circuit comprises a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is configured to connect the plurality of junctions in an arrangement with each other, wherein the arrangement comprises a parallel configuration, a series configuration, or a combination of parallel and series configuration.

13. The photovoltaic (PV) system of claim 7 further comprising an electrical power system controller that is configured to signal each of the power management circuits to connect the plurality of junctions in series with each other in response to a determination that sunlight is incident upon the cells.

14. The photovoltaic (PV) system of claim 7 further comprising an electrical power system controller that is configured to signal a selected subset of the power management circuits to operate in a predetermined mode in response to a determination that energy harvesting is based on light that is incident upon the cells associated with the selected subset.

15. The photovoltaic (PV) system of claim 14 , wherein the light comprises a laser light or an incoherent light beam.

Assignees

• Sandia Corp

Inventors

• Okandan Murat
• Nielson Gregory N

Classifications

• Y02E10/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] energy · CPC title

• H02J7/35

  with light sensitive cells · CPC title

• H02J2105/30

  the load networks being external to vehicles, i.e. exchanging power with vehicles · CPC title

• H10F77/955

  for photovoltaic devices · CPC title

• B64G1/443 Primary

  Photovoltaic cell arrays · CPC title