Refined solar panel string converter topology
AssigneeAmpt, LLC
InventorsAnatoli Ledenev, Robert M. Porter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The inventive technology, in certain embodiments, may be generally described as a solar power generation system with a converter, which may potentially include two or more sub-converters, established intermediately of one or more strings of solar panels. Particular embodiments may involve sweet spot operation in order to achieve improvements in efficiency, and bucking of open circuit voltages by the converter in order that more panels may be placed on an individual string or substring, reducing the number of strings required for a given design, and achieving overall system and array manufacture savings.
Claims56
A solar power system comprising:
- a DC-DC converter having a first power generator connector and a second power generator connector, said first and second power generator connectors connected within and as part of a solar power string;
- a first unconverted string portion connected to said first power generator connector of said DC-DC converter and a second unconverted string portion of said string connected to said second power generator connector of said DC-DC converter, said portions separated by, and in serial connection with, said DC-DC converter;
- a first pair of electrical connections, one of which is said first power generator connector and the other of which is a first voltage conductor, connecting said DC-DC converter across said first unconverted string portion;
- a second pair of electrical connections, one of which is said second power generator connector and the other of which is a second voltage conductor, connecting said DC-DC converter across said second unconverted string portion;
- a positive rail electrically connected without a converter with an end of said first unconverted string portion opposite from said first power generator connector and with said DC-DC converter at said first voltage conductor of said first pair of electrical connections that connects said DC-DC converter across said first unconverted string portion;
- and
- a negative rail electrically connected without a converter with an end of said second unconverted string portion opposite from said second power generator connector and with said DC-DC converter at said second voltage conductor of said second pair of electrical connections that connects said DC-DC converter across said second unconverted string portion.
A solar power system comprising:
- a string of serially connected electrical components that include solar panels;
- a DC-DC converter intermediately electrically connected within said string as a part of said string so as to define a first, solar panel string portion and a second, solar panel string portion;
- a positive rail connected without a converter with said first, solar panel string portion, and with said DC-DC converter;
- and
- a negative rail connected without a converter with said second, solar panel string portion, and connected with said DC-DC converter.
A solar power system comprising:
- a first solar power generator in serial connection with a DC-DC converter and with a second solar power generator, said DC-DC converter connected between said two solar power generators, and said two solar power generators each having a respective lower voltage end and higher voltage end;
- a positive rail electrically without a converter connected with said higher voltage end of said first solar power generator and with said DC-DC converter;
- and
- a negative rail electrically connected without a converter with said lower voltage end of said second solar power generator and with said DC-DC converter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.