Renewable Energy Monitoring System

• US 20120057520A1
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Original Assignee: Enecsys UK Limited (Enecsys Plc)
• Inventors: Mumtaz, Asim
• Granted Patent: US 8,624,443 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/133 by using digital technique
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/41 Remote control of gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/32 comprising DC/AC inverter means associated with the PV module itself, e.g. AC modules
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 50/00 Monitoring or testing of PV systems, e.g. load balancing or fault identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/84 Measuring functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/886 using energy harvesting, e.g. solar, wind or mechanical
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/10 Photovoltaic [PV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

We describe a solar photovoltaic monitoring system for monitoring and controlling a solar photovoltaic inverter, comprising: a wireless transceiver coupled to a solar photovoltaic inverter, the inverter comprising a device monitor for monitoring and controlling the inverter, wherein the monitoring comprises generating monitoring data defining a status of the system and transmitting the data using the transceiver coupled to the inverter; a wireless repeater for receiving data from the inverter and retransmitting the data; a transceiver coupled to a gateway capable of communicating the retransmitted data received to a monitoring station, the gateway transmitting control data received from the monitoring station; wherein the repeater receives control data from the gateway and retransmits data to the inverter; and wherein the controlling in the inverter comprises receiving the retransmitted control data from the transceiver coupled to the inverter and controlling the inverter dependent on the data.

Claims

1. A solar photovoltaic monitoring system for monitoring and controlling a solar photovoltaic inverter, comprising:

a wireless transceiver coupled to a solar photovoltaic inverter, said solar photovoltaic inverter comprising a device monitor monitoring and controlling said solar photovoltaic inverter, said monitoring comprising generating monitoring data defining a status of said solar photovoltaic system and transmitting said monitoring data using said wireless transceiver coupled to said solar photovoltaic inverter;

a wireless repeater, said wireless repeater receiving said monitoring data from said solar photovoltaic inverter and retransmitting said monitoring data;

a wireless transceiver coupled to a gateway, said gateway communicating said retransmitted monitoring data received using said wireless transceiver coupled to said gateway to a monitoring station, said gateway transmitting control data received from said monitoring station using said wireless transceiver coupled to said gateway;

wherein said wireless repeater further receives said control data from said gateway and retransmits said control data to said solar photovoltaic inverter; and

wherein said controlling in said solar photovoltaic inverter comprises receiving said retransmitted control data from said wireless transceiver coupled to said solar photovoltaic inverter and controlling said solar photovoltaic inverter dependent on said control data.

2. The solar photovoltaic monitoring system of claim 1, wherein said wireless repeater comprises:

a wireless transceiver module;

a plurality of spaced apart antennas coupled to said wireless transceiver module;

at least one antenna interface having one or more of said plurality of spaced apart antennas electrically coupled thereto;

wherein said wireless transceiver module is coupled to said at least one antenna interface, said wireless transceiver module comprising data receiving and transmission means to receive data from at least one of said plurality of spaced apart antennas and to transmit said data using one or more other of said plurality of spaced apart antennas, and a processing element coupled to said data receiving and transmission means to process said data received and transmitted from said one or more of said plurality of antennas.

4. The solar photovoltaic monitoring system of claim 2, wherein said antennas are spaced apart by at least 0.5 m wherein regions of transmission and reception associated with each of said first and second of said plurality of spaced apart antennas are non-overlapping.

5. The solar photovoltaic monitoring system of claim 4, wherein one of said antennas is adjacent said wireless transceiver module.

6. The solar photovoltaic monitoring system of claim 1 further comprising a single said wireless transceiver module and a passive R.F. splitter coupled between said two or more antennas and said single transceiver module.

7. The solar photovoltaic monitoring system of claim 1, wherein said wireless transceivers and said wireless repeater comprise a Zigbee™

transceiver module.

3. (canceled)

8. A solar photovoltaic renewable energy monitoring system for monitoring a solar photovoltaic renewable energy generation device mounted on or adjacent to a building, comprising:

a device monitor coupled to a solar photovoltaic renewable energy generation device to monitor said solar photovoltaic renewable energy generation device and generate monitoring data defining a status of said solar photovoltaic renewable energy generation device, said device monitor wirelessly communicating said monitoring data to a gateway using a wireless communications link, said gateway receiving said monitoring data from said device monitor and communicating said monitoring data to a monitoring station; and

a wireless repeater providing said communications link between said device monitor and said gateway, wherein said wireless repeater comprises;

a wireless transceiver module;

a plurality of spaced apart antennas coupled to said wireless transceiver module;

at least one antenna interface having one or more of said plurality of spaced apart antennas electrically coupled thereto;

wherein said wireless transceiver module is coupled to said at least one antenna interface, said wireless transceiver module comprising data receiving and transmission means to receive said monitoring data from at least one of said plurality of spaced apart antennas and to transmit said monitoring data using one or more other of said plurality of spaced apart antennas, and a processing element coupled to said data receiving and transmission means to process said monitoring data received and transmitted from said one or more of said plurality of antennas.

9. The solar photovoltaic renewable energy monitoring system of claim 8, wherein:

said gateway receives control data from said monitoring station and communicates said control data to said device monitor using said wireless communications link;

said wireless transceiver module receives said control data from at least one of said plurality of spaced apart antennas and transmits said control data using one or more other of said plurality of spaced apart antennas; and

said device monitor receives said control data from said gateway and controls said solar photovoltaic renewable energy generation device dependent on said control data.

10. The solar photovoltaic renewable energy monitoring system of claim 8, wherein

said wireless transceiver module is coupled to said at least one antenna interface;

said antenna interface being electrically coupled to two or more of said plurality of antennas, said coupling comprising a transmission line splitter, wherein;

said transmission line splitter transmits monitoring data received from at least one of said two or more of said plurality of antennas to said antenna interface, and

said transmission line splitter transmits monitoring data received from said antenna interface to each of said two or more of said plurality of antennas.

11. The solar photovoltaic renewable energy monitoring system of claim 10, wherein

said transmission line splitter transmits control data received from said at least one of said two or more of said plurality of antennas to said antenna interface, and

said transmission line splitter transmits control data received from said antenna interface to each of said two or more of said plurality of antennas.

12. The solar photovoltaic renewable energy monitoring system of claim 10, said transmission line splitter being impedance matched to transmission lines electrically coupling said two or more of said plurality of antennas to said transmission line splitter.

13. The solar photovoltaic renewable energy monitoring system of claim 12 wherein said transmission lines comprise coaxial cable.

14. The solar photovoltaic renewable energy monitoring system of claim 8, said solar photovoltaic renewable energy monitoring system being located on or within a building, said building comprising at least two separate regions separated by a partition, wherein:

a first of said plurality of spaced apart antennas is located in a first of said at least two separate regions of said building and a second of said plurality of spaced apart antennas is located in a second of said at least two separate regions of said building; and

said regions of transmission and reception associated with each of said first and second of said plurality of spaced apart antennas are non-overlapping, said partition limiting said transmission and reception.

15. The solar photovoltaic renewable energy monitoring system of claim 8, wherein a first of said plurality of spaced apart antennas is located proximally to said device monitor and a second of said plurality of spaced apart antennas is located proximally to said gateway.

17. The solar photovoltaic renewable energy monitoring system of claim 8, wherein said device monitor and said gateway and said wireless transceiver module comprise a Zigbee™

transceiver module.

16. (canceled)

18. A method of monitoring a solar photovoltaic renewable energy generation device mounted on or adjacent to a building, the method comprising:

generating monitoring data at a solar photovoltaic renewable energy generation device, said monitoring data defining a status of said solar photovoltaic renewable energy generation device;

wirelessly communicating said monitoring data to a gateway using a wireless communications link, said gateway communicating said monitoring data to a monitoring station;

using a wireless repeater to provide said wireless communications link, the wireless repeater comprising;

a plurality of spaced apart antennas each having an associated region of transmission and reception, and at least one antenna interface having one or more of said plurality of spaced apart antennas electrically coupled thereto;

the method further comprising using a wireless transceiver module to receive monitoring data from at least one of said plurality of spaced apart antennas using data receiving means, processing said received monitoring data, and transmitting said processed and received monitoring data using said data transmission means to one or more other of said plurality of spaced apart antennas.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

coupling said wireless transceiver module to said at least one antenna interface;

electrically coupling two or more of said plurality of antennas to said least one antenna interface using a transmission line splitter;

receiving monitoring data from said at least one of said two or more of said plurality of antennas and transmitting said received monitoring data to said at least one antenna interface using said transmission line splitter; and

transmitting said monitoring data received from said at least one antenna interface to each of said two or more of said plurality of antennas via said transmission line splitter.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

receiving control data from at least one of said two or more of said plurality of antennas and transmitting said received control data to said first at least one antenna interface using said transmission line splitter; and

transmitting said control data received from said first of said at least one antenna interface to each of said two or more of said plurality of antennas via said transmission line splitter.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

impedance matching said transmission line splitter to transmission lines electrically coupling said two or more of said plurality of antennas to said transmission line splitter.

23. The method of claim 18, said solar photovoltaic renewable energy monitoring system being located on or within a building, said building comprising at least two separate regions separated by a partition, the method further comprising:

locating a first of said plurality of spaced apart antennas in a first of said at least two separate regions of said building and a second of said plurality of spaced apart antennas in a second of said at least two separate regions of said building; and

arranging said regions of transmission and reception associated with each of said first and second of said plurality of spaced apart antennas such that they are substantially non-overlapping, said partition limiting said transmission and reception.

19. (canceled)