Virtual inverter for power generation units
AssigneeSolantro Semiconductor Corp.
InventorsAntoine Marc Joseph Richard Paquin, Edward Patrick Keyes, Raymond Kenneth Orr, Peter Giles Preston-Thomas, Olivier Anne Jean-Yves Chapel
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Abstract
A gateway controller allows a plurality of individual power generation units coupled to an electrical distribution grid to be controlled in a coordinated fashion. The gateway controller allows control of the plurality of individual power generation units as a single power generation unit. The gateway controller may determine required control parameters of the power generation units that will provide a desired combined behavior, such as combined alternating current injected into the grid, and issues commands to the power generation units based on the determined control parameters.
Claims37
Photovoltaic (PV) power generation and control system comprising:
- a coordinated power generation group comprising a plurality of generation units capable of outputting alternating current (AC), each generation unit comprising:
- a PV panel capable of producing direct current (DC);
- and
- an inverter capable of outputting AC from the DC produced by the PV panel, the inverter including a two way communication interface for receiving remote control information for setting at least one control parameter to control an output characteristic of the inverter and transmitting information indicative of an operating characteristic of the inverter;
- and
- a gateway controller comprising:
- a communication interface for communicating with the respective inverters of the plurality of generation units;
- and
- control functionality for determining remote control information for selectively setting respective control parameters of the inverters based on a respective generation unit operating characteristic of the plurality of generation units received from the inverters to cooperatively control the output characteristics of the inverters of the plurality of power generation units to provide a desired coordinated behaviour from the plurality of power generation units.
A gateway controller for controlling a plurality of power generation units each outputting alternating current (AC) to an electrical distribution grid, the gateway controller comprising:
- a communication interface for communicating with the plurality of power generation units;
- and
- at least one processor and associated memory storing instructions for execution by the at least one processor, when executed by the processor, the instructions configuring the gateway controller to:
- determine a desired combined behaviour from the plurality of power generation units;
- determine control parameters of individual power generation units required to provide the desired combined behaviour;
- and
- issue commands, using the communication interface, to the individual power generation units to selectively control the determined control parameters of the individual power generation units based on a respective generation unit operating characteristic to provide the desired coordinated behaviour from the plurality of power generation units.
A method controlling a plurality of power generation units, each outputting alternating current (AC) to an electrical distribution grid, the method comprising:
- determining at a gateway controller a desired combined behaviour from the plurality of power generation units;
- determining respective control parameters of respective power generation units required to provide the desired combined behaviour based on respective generation unit operating characteristics;
- and
- issuing commands, using a communication interface of the gateway controller, to the individual power generation units based on the determined control parameters of the individual inverters to provide the desired coordinated behaviour from the plurality of power generation units.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.