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PHOTOVOLTAIC ARRAY GROUND FAULT DETECTION METHOD FOR UTILITY-SCALE GROUNDED SOLAR ELECTRIC POWER GENERATING SYSTEMS

  • US 20110199707A1
  • Filed: 02/15/2011
  • Published: 08/18/2011
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2010
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for a photovoltaic system, comprising:

  • a hybrid grounding circuit as well as a ground fault monitoring circuit in inverter circuitry with switching devices that generate three-phase Alternating Current (AC) voltage supplied to a utility power grid interface transformer, where a primary-side common node of the Utility Power grid interface transformer is connected to Earth ground, where each inverter has

         1) its own set of isolation contacts to connect as well as isolate this particular inverter from the utility grid interface transformer, and

         2) control components in the ground fault monitoring circuit for controlling operation of the isolation contacts based off a presence of the ground fault detected by the ground fault monitor circuit for that inverter, where the inverter circuit receives a DC voltage supplied from its own set of ungrounded Concentrated PhotoVoltaic (CPV) modules.

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