System, apparatus and method for efficient use of solar photovoltaic energy
AssigneeRheem Australia Pty Limited
InventorsGrant Andrew Stepa, Peter Robert Kerr
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Abstract
A solar photovoltaic (PV) water heating system includes a tank (1.020) including at least a first heating unit (1.016) having at least first and second heating elements (1.016.1 . . . 1.016.x), at least one of which is switchable (1.014.1A . . . 1.014.1m); a PV solar collector (1.002); an inverter (1.004) adapted to convert the output from the PV collector to an alternating power supply; a modulator (1.060) to modulate the alternating power supply from the inverter; a controller (1.040) adapted to control the modulator and the switching of the or each switchable heating element; wherein the controller is adapted to control the modulator and the switchable heating elements to maximize the energy drawn from the PC collector.
Claims9
A water heating device comprising:
- a water storage tank;
- a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of a fluid in the water storage tank;
- at least first and second heating elements configured to heat the fluid in the water storage tank, at least one of the first and second heating elements being switchable;
- a modulator adapted to modulate a flow of energy from a variable energy source to at least the first heating element;
- and
- a controller adapted to:
- receive temperature information from the temperature sensor, the temperature information being indicative of the temperature of the fluid in the water storage tank;
- receive current flow direction information from a current sensor sensing current inflow from a utility grid or current outflow to the utility grid;
- and
- control the modulator and switching of the at least one switchable heating element to prioritize delivery of energy from the variable energy source to internal consumption systems before delivery of energy from the variable energy source to the utility grid by at least:
- in response to determining that the temperature of the fluid is less than a threshold temperature and the current flow direction information is indicative of current outflow to the utility grid, modulating the flow of energy from the variable energy source to at least the first heating element, and
- in response to determining that the temperature of the fluid is less than the threshold temperature, the current flow direction information is indicative of current outflow to the utility grid, and the first heating element has reached a maximum power output, switching on the at least one switchable heating element and further modulating the flow of energy from the variable energy source to at least the first heating element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.