Back to results
US 12,719,270 B2Granted
Enhanced system and method for string balancing
AssigneeTigo Energy Innovations LLC
InventorsShmuel Arditi, Ron Hadar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A photovoltaic system, including: a plurality of photovoltaic panels having outputs connected in series as a string to provide a string output; a converter coupled to the string to receive the string output as an input and generate a direct current output from the input; a series connection of the string output and the direct current output; and a bus powered at least in part by the series connection of the string output and the direct current output.
Claims9
A photovoltaic system, comprising:
- a plurality of strings, each string comprising a plurality of photovoltaic panels that provide a string output for a respective string;
- respective converters coupled between corresponding string outputs and a bus, each respective converter configured to convert a string output voltage at the string output to a bus voltage at a converter output of the respective converter;
- wherein each converter comprises a bypass switch configured to connect the string output to the bus when the string output voltage is equal to the bus voltage;
- and
- a DC to AC inverter coupled to the bus, the DC to AC inverter configured to receive the bus voltage,
- wherein the DC to AC inverter is configured to convert the output of the bus voltage to an alternating current output supplied to a load.
3 more elements
A method of balancing string outputs, the method comprising:
- coupling a converter to a string output of a first string, the first string comprising a plurality of photovoltaic panels that provide the string output to the converter;
- coupling the converter to a bus;
- coupling the bus to a DC to AC inverter, the DC to AC inverter configured to receive a bus voltage,
- wherein the DC to AC inverter is configured to convert the output of the bus voltage to an alternating current output supplied to a load;
- converting, by the converter, a string output voltage at the string output to the bus voltage at a converter output of the converter;
- and
- connecting the string output directly to the bus by bypassing the converter with a switch when the string output is equal to the bus voltage.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.