Solar charging system
OwnerEvan Price, Keyvan Vasefi +1inventors
InventorsEvan Price, Keyvan Vasefi, Sterling Robison
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A switch device may include a first port configured to be directly coupled to a single photovoltaic module of multiple photovoltaic modules in a photovoltaic module array. The first ports may receive direct current power generated by the photovoltaic module. The switch device may also include a second port configured to be coupled to a connection system for coupling the photovoltaic modules to an electrical grid and a third port configured to be coupled to an energy storage system. The switch device may also include a switch configured to couple the first port to the second port in a first configuration and to couple the first port to the third port in a second configuration.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- an energy storage system including one or more batteries that is configured to obtain direct current power from each of a plurality of photovoltaic modules in a photovoltaic module array;
- and
- a plurality of switch devices, each of the switch devices including:
- a first port configured to be directly coupled to a single photovoltaic module of the plurality of photovoltaic modules in the photovoltaic module array such that each of the plurality of photovoltaic modules are directly coupled to a different one of the plurality of switch devices and the first ports receive direct current power generated by the photovoltaic modules;
- a second port configured to be coupled to a connection system for coupling the photovoltaic modules to an electrical grid;
- and
- a third port configured to be coupled to the energy storage system,
- wherein each switching device is configured to couple the first port to the second port in a first configuration and to couple the first port to the third port in a second configuration,
- wherein the energy storage system is configured to provide a control signal to each of the plurality of switch devices to select between the first configuration and the second configuration.
A switch device, comprising:
- a first port configured to be directly coupled to a single photovoltaic module of a plurality of photovoltaic modules in a photovoltaic module array and the first ports receive direct current power generated by the photovoltaic modules;
- a second port configured to be coupled to a connection system for coupling the photovoltaic modules to an electrical grid;
- a third port configured to be coupled to an energy storage system;
- and
- a switch configured to couple the first port to the second port in a first configuration and to couple the first port to the third port in a second configuration.
A method comprising:
- determining an availability of power from an electrical grid;
- and
- in response to no power being available, directing a plurality of switch devices to a first configuration, each of the plurality of switch devices including:
- a first port configured to be directly coupled to a single photovoltaic module of a plurality of photovoltaic modules in a photovoltaic module array such that each of the plurality of photovoltaic modules are directly coupled to a different one of the plurality of switch devices and the first ports receive direct current power generated by the photovoltaic modules;
- a second port configured to be coupled to a connection system for coupling the photovoltaic modules to the electrical grid;
- and
- a third port configured to be coupled to an energy storage system, wherein the first configuration of a switch device couples the first port to the third port.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.