System for field measurement and calibration of photovoltatic reference devices
AssigneeAtonometrics, Inc.
InventorsWILLIAM STUEVE, MICHAEL GOSTEIN, LAWRENCE R. DUNN, STAN FAULLIN
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Abstract
A system for field measurement and calibration of photovoltaic reference devices, including a reference device electronics unit that measures the electrical output of a photovoltaic reference module and provides data to determine the solar irradiance received by the reference module as a function of its electrical output; and a calibrator unit that is used to routinely recalibrate the reference device electronics unit and the reference module, wherein the calibrator unit contains one or more calibrated photovoltaic reference cell(s).
Claims41
A system for field measurement and calibration of photovoltaic (PV) reference devices, wherein said PV reference devices are PV cells or PV modules, comprising:
- one or more outdoor-mounted reference device electronics (RDE) units, each of which performs measurements on an associated PV reference device;
- and
- a portable calibrator unit, which calibrates the RDE units and the PV reference devices.
An apparatus for performing measurements on a photovoltaic (PV) reference device, which may be either a PV cell or a module, to determine irradiance, comprising:
- a weather-resistant mounting enclosure;
- terminals to connect an associated PV reference device, the PV reverence device being either a PV cell or PV module;
- a current measurement circuit to measure the current of the associated PV reference device;
- control and communications circuitry;
- non-volatile memory which stores:
- calibration data for the apparatus;
- calibration data for the apparatus's associated PV reference device;
- and
- measurement data;
- and
- wherein the apparatus measures a short-circuit current and a temperature of the associated PV reference device and calculates irradiance from the short-circuit current and the temperature measured values using stored calibration data.
An apparatus for calibrating photovoltaic (PV) reference devices, which may be either PV cells or modules, comprising:
- one or more portable enclosures;
- terminals to connect a PV reference device, the PV reverence device being either PV cells or modules;
- circuitry for measuring a short-circuit current or a current versus voltage relationship (“I-V curve”) of the PV reference device;
- a temperature measurement input to measure the temperature of the PV reference device via a temperature sensor affixed to the PV reference device;
- a PV reference cell unit for measuring irradiance;
- and
- an integral or separate operator interface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.