Photovoltaic plant linked to a high-voltage electrical network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9899840-B2
Application number	US-201414907438-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2014
Priority date	Jul 30, 2013
Publication date	Feb 20, 2018
Grant date	Feb 20, 2018

Abstract

The invention concerns a photovoltaic plant intended to be linked to a single-phase or multiphase electrical network of which at least one effective voltage of a phase is greater than or equal to 3 kV. The photovoltaic plant comprises at least one first field of photovoltaic modules linked to a first inverter and a second field of photovoltaic modules linked to a second inverter, the first and second inverters being connected in series, the first inverter being linked to the electrical network, each photovoltaic module of the first field of photovoltaic modules having a breakdown voltage greater than or equal to 20 kV. There is no galvanic isolation between the network and the first and second fields of photovoltaic modules.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A photovoltaic power plant intended to be connected to a single-phase or polyphase electrical network, wherein an effective voltage of at least one phase is greater than or equal to 3 kV, the photovoltaic power plant comprising at least a first field of photovoltaic modules directly connected to a first inverter and a second field of photovoltaic modules directly connected to a second inverter, the first and second inverters being series-connected, the first inverter being connected to the electrical network, each photovoltaic module of the first field of photovoltaic modules having a breakdown voltage greater than or equal to 20 kV, and wherein there is no galvanic isolation between the network and the first and second fields of photovoltaic modules.

2. The photovoltaic power plant of claim 1 , comprising at least one third field of photovoltaic modules directly connected to a third inverter, the third inverter being series-connected with the second inverter.

3. The photovoltaic power plant of claim 1 , intended to be connected to a single-phase or polyphase electrical network wherein an effective voltage of at least one phase is in the range from 3 kV to 25 kV, wherein each photovoltaic module of the first field of photovoltaic modules has a breakdown voltage in the range from 20 kV to 130 kV and advantageously from 60 kV to 130 kV.

4. The photovoltaic power plant of claim 1 , wherein all the photovoltaic modules of all the fields of photovoltaic modules of the photovoltaic power plant have a breakdown voltage greater than or equal to 20 kV.

5. The photovoltaic power plant of claim 1 , intended to be connected to a three-phase electrical network having its effective composite voltages greater than 3 kV, comprising, for each phase of the electrical network, at least the first field of photovoltaic modules directly connected to the first inverter and the second field of photovoltaic modules directly connected to the second inverter, the first and second inverters being series-connected, the first inverter being connected to said phase, each photovoltaic module of the first field of photovoltaic modules having a breakdown voltage greater than or equal to 20 kV, and wherein there is no galvanic isolation between the network and the first and second fields of photovoltaic modules.

6. The photovoltaic power plant of claim 1 , wherein each photovoltaic module of the first field rests on a support and comprises photovoltaic cells and a holding device for keeping an air film between the support and the photovoltaic cells.

7. The photovoltaic power plant of claim 6 , wherein the photovoltaic cells are surrounded with an encapsulation layer forming first and second opposite surfaces, each photovoltaic module comprising a coating covering at least the most part of the first surface, the holding device being capable of keeping the air film between the support and the coating.

8. The photovoltaic power plant of claim 7 , wherein the coating comprises protruding portions in contact with the support.

9. The photovoltaic power plant of claim 8 , wherein at least one photovoltaic module of the first field further comprises, for each protruding portion, a pad between the coating and the first surface.

10. The photovoltaic power plant of claim 7 , wherein each protruding portion delimits a housing filled with air or at least partly filled with the material forming the encapsulation layer.

11. The photovoltaic power plant of claim 8 , wherein the height of each protruding portion varies from 1 mm to 20 mm.

Assignees

• Commissariat Energie Atomique

Inventors

• Martin Jeremy
• Pilat Eric

Classifications

• H02M7/44

  by static converters · CPC title

• H02J2101/24

  Photovoltaics · CPC title

• H02J3/383

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02J3/34 Primary

  Arrangements for transfer of electric power between networks of substantially different frequency · CPC title

• Y02E10/563

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic