Apparatus and method of detecting ground fault of solar power generation system

• US 20020105765A1
• Filed: 01/28/2002
• Published: 08/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kondo, Hiroshi, Takehara, Nobuyoshi, Manabe, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 6,930,868 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/42
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/337 avoiding disconnection due to reactive fault currents
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/1222 responsive to abnormalities in the input circuit, e.g. transients in the DC input

Abstract

In a solar power generation system which causes a non-insulated type inverter to convert DC power generated by a solar battery into AC power and outputs the AC power to a commercial power system, in detecting a ground fault, the differential current between the output lines of the solar battery is detected, an AC leakage current component due to the capacitance to ground of the solar battery is removed from the differential current, and it is determined whether a ground fault state has occurred by comparing a current value after removal of the AC leakage current component with a predetermined threshold value. With this arrangement, a false ground fault state determination that is caused by the influence of the AC leakage current component due to the electrostatic capacitance although the DC current path can be prevented, and a ground fault state can accurately be determined.

Claims

1. A ground fault detection apparatus for detecting a ground fault of a solar battery in a solar power generation system which causes a non-insulated type inverter to convert DC power generated by the solar battery into AC power and outputs the AC power to a commercial power system, comprising:

differential current detection means for detecting a differential current between output lines of the solar battery;

AC leakage current removing means for removing an AC leakage current component due to a capacitance to ground of the solar battery from the differential current; and

determination means for determining whether a ground fault state has occurred by comparing a current value output from said AC leakage current removing means with a predetermined threshold value.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said AC leakage current removing means removes a frequency component twice a frequency of the commercial power system from the differential current.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said AC leakage current removing means calculates a prediction value of an AC leakage current from a voltage variation amount of the output line of the solar battery and the capacitance to ground of the solar battery and subtracts the prediction value from a value of the differential current.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said AC leakage current removing means calculates a prediction value of an AC leakage current from a voltage variation amount of a booster section of the non-insulated type inverter and the capacitance to ground of the solar battery and subtracts the prediction value from a value of the differential current.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said AC leakage current removing means calculates a prediction value of an AC leakage current from an output power amount of the non-insulated type inverter and the capacitance to ground of the solar battery and subtracts the prediction value from a value of the differential current.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said AC leakage current removing means includes filter means for removing a PWM component of the non-insulated type inverter from the differential current.

7. A solar power generation system comprising:

a ground fault detection apparatus for detecting a ground fault of a solar battery in a solar power generation system which causes a non-insulated type inverter to convert DC power generated by the solar battery into AC power and outputs the AC power to a commercial power system, including,

differential current detection means for detecting a differential current between output lines of the solar battery,

AC leakage current removing means for removing an AC leakage current component due to a capacitance to ground of the solar battery from the differential current, and

determination means for determining whether a ground fault state has occurred by comparing a current value output from said AC leakage current removing means with a predetermined threshold value; and

control means for controlling operation of said non-insulated type inverter and a state of a system interconnection switch in accordance with a determination result from said ground fault detection apparatus.

8. A ground fault detection method of detecting a ground fault of a solar battery in a solar power generation system which causes a non-insulated type inverter to convert DC power generated by the solar battery into AC power and outputs the AC power to a commercial power system, comprising the steps of:

detecting a differential current between output lines of the solar battery;

removing an AC leakage current component due to a capacitance to ground of the solar battery from the differential current; and

determining whether a ground fault state has occurred by comparing a current value after removal of the AC leakage current component with a predetermined threshold value.