Method and system for optimizing the configuration of a solar power system
AssigneeSunrun Inc.
InventorsGary WAYNE, Billy HINNERS
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An optimization engine determines the optimal configuration for a solar power system by simulating the performance of different solar module arrays projected onto a target surface. The optimization engine selects the optimally-performing solar module array and then simulates the performance of additional solar module subarrays projected onto various regions of the target surface not already covered by the optimally-performing solar module array. The optimal configuration includes the optimally-performing solar module array and one or more optimally-performing solar module subarrays.
Claims20
A computer-implemented method for determining a configuration of a solar power system, the method comprising:
- projecting a first plurality of solar module arrays onto a target surface;
- identifying a first solar module array within the first plurality of solar module arrays that has an optimal performance estimate relative to the other solar module arrays in the first plurality of a solar module arrays;
- projecting a first plurality of solar module subarrays onto regions of the target surface not covered by the first solar module array;
- and
- identifying a first solar module subarray within the first plurality of solar module subarrays that has an optimal performance estimate relative to the other solar module subarrays in the first plurality of solar module subarrays,
- wherein the configuration of the solar power system comprises at least the first solar module array and the first solar module subarray.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions that, when executed by a processing unit, cause the processing unit to determine a configuration of a solar power system by performing the steps of:
- projecting a first plurality of solar module arrays onto a target surface;
- identifying a first solar module array within the first plurality of solar module arrays that has an optimal performance estimate relative to the other solar module arrays in the first plurality of a solar module arrays;
- projecting a first plurality of solar module subarrays onto regions of the target surface not covered by the first solar module array;
- and
- identifying a first solar module subarray within the first plurality of solar module subarrays that has an optimal performance estimate relative to the other solar module subarrays in the first plurality of solar module subarrays,
- wherein the configuration of the solar power system comprises at least the first solar module array and the first solar module subarray.
A computing device configured to determine a configuration of a solar power system, comprising:
- a processing unit configured to:
- project a first plurality of solar module arrays onto a target surface;
- identify a first solar module array within the first plurality of solar module arrays that has an optimal performance estimate relative to the other solar module arrays in the first plurality of a solar module arrays;
- project a first plurality of solar module subarrays onto regions of the target surface not covered by the first solar module array;
- and
- identify a first solar module subarray within the first plurality of solar module subarrays that has an optimal performance estimate relative to the other solar module subarrays in the first plurality of solar module subarrays,
- wherein the configuration of the solar power system comprises at least the first solar module array and the first solar module subarray.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.