System and method for flexible solar tracker and testing
AssigneeFCX Solar LLC
InventorsChristopher Thomas Needham, Frank Carl Oudheusden
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Abstract
Disclosed herein is a technique of configuring flexible photovoltaic tracker systems with high damping and low angle stow positions. Under dynamic environmental loads implementing a high amount of damping (e.g., greater than 25% of critical damping, greater than 50% of critical damping) or a very high amount of damping (e.g., 100% or greater of critical damping, infinite damping) enables the flexible tracker system to prevent problematic aeroelastic behaviors while positioned in a low stow angle. The disclosed technique is further applied to a prototyping process during wind tunnel testing.
Claims14
A flexible solar tracker system comprising:
- a single actuator configured to set a position of a set of photovoltaic (PV) panels in a row;
- dampers corresponding to the set of PV panels, the dampers configured to result in the flexible solar tracker system having a total system damping ratio against row rotation that is under critical damping when measured below a predetermined threshold of wind loading and passively shifts via a change in a fluid flow resistance to overdamped when measured above the predetermined threshold of wind loading, the dampers comprising:
- a chamber, the chamber including a piston and a fluid;
- the piston, having a first port and a second port, wherein the piston translates through the fluid, wherein the fluid flows between the piston and the chamber via the first port and the second port create the fluid flow resistance;
- a pressure valve, the pressure valve coupled to the second port, wherein in response to exceeding the predetermined threshold of wind loading the pressure valve passively shifts from a first position to a second position augmenting the fluid flow resistance;
- and
- a controller configured to cause the single actuator to set a low angle stow position of the set of PV panels.
A flexible solar tracker system comprising:
- a single actuator configured to set a position of a set of photovoltaic (PV) panels in a row;
- dampers corresponding to the set of PV panels, the dampers configured to result in the flexible solar tracker system that passively shifts via a change in fluid flow resistance between having a total system damping ratio against row rotation when measured under peak design wind loading that is at least critically damped and having a total system damping ratio against row rotation that is lower than critically damped while being positioned by the single actuator, the dampers comprising:
- a chamber, the chamber including a piston and a fluid;
- the piston, having a first port and a second port, wherein the piston translates through the fluid, wherein the fluid flows between the piston and the chamber via the first port and the second port create the fluid flow resistance;
- a pressure valve, the pressure valve coupled to the second port, wherein in response to exceeding a predetermined threshold of wind loading the pressure valve passively shifts from a first position to a second position augmenting the fluid flow resistance;
- and
- a controller configured to cause the single actuator to set a low angle stow position of the set of PV panels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.