METHODS FOR LOCATION IDENTIFICATION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS

• US 20130166211A1
• Filed: 09/20/2012
• Published: 06/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matthew Williams, Michael Herzig, Shawn Kerrigan
• Original Assignee: Locus Energy, LLC (Also Energy Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kerrigan, Shawn, Herzig, Michael, Williams, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 10,564,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/5
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

A computer processor implemented method of identifying the location of a renewable energy system; providing a set of renewable energy systems having at least two location-known renewable energy systems each having a longitude and latitude pair and production data; providing at least one location-unknown renewable energy system in a computer processor; correlating by a computer processor each location-unknown renewable energy system to at least one location-known renewable energy system according to location-known renewable energy systems longitude and latitude pair and production data; providing a best-fit location for each location-unknown renewable energy system by triangulating the location-unknown renewable energy system to provide a triangulated latitude and longitude; setting the triangulated latitude and longitude for the location-unknown renewable energy system to become a location-known renewable energy system that is part of the set of renewable energy systems.

Claims

1. A computer processor implemented method of identifying the location of a renewable energy system, said method comprising the steps of;

providing a set of renewable energy systems having at least two location-known renewable energy systems each having a longitude and latitude pair and production data;

storing the longitude and latitude pair and production data in a computer processor;

providing at least one location-unknown renewable energy system in a computer processor;

correlating by said computer processor each location-unknown renewable energy system to at least one location-known renewable energy system according to said location-known renewable energy systems longitude and latitude pair and production data;

providing a best-fit location for each location-unknown renewable energy system by triangulating said location-unknown renewable energy system to provide a triangulated latitude and longitude;

setting said triangulated latitude and longitude for said location-unknown renewable energy system to become a location-known renewable energy system that is part of the set of renewable energy systems.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein said production data is simulated production data according to environmental conditions at said longitude and latitude pair and said step of correlating by said computer processor each location-unknown renewable energy system to at least one location-known renewable energy system is according to said location-known renewable energy systems longitude and latitude pair and said simulated production data.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein said environmental conditions at said longitude and latitude pair are estimated.

4. A method as in claim 2, wherein said environmental conditions at said longitude and latitude pair are observed.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the renewable energy systems'"'"' production data is selected from the group consisting of photovoltaic system production data, solar thermal system production data, concentrated solar power system production data and wind turbine production data.

15. A method as in claim 1, wherein the renewable energy systems'"'"' production data is selected from the group consisting of photovoltaic system production data, solar thermal system production data, concentrated solar power system production data and wind turbine production data.

6. A computer processor implemented method of identifying the location of an environmental sensor, said method comprising the steps of;

providing a set of environmental sensors having at least two location-known environmental sensors each having a longitude and latitude pair and sensor measurement data;

storing the longitude and latitude pair and sensor measurement data in a computer processor;

providing at least one location-unknown environmental sensor in a computer processor;

correlating by said computer processor each location-unknown environmental sensor to at least one location-known environmental sensor according to said location-known renewable energy systems longitude and latitude pair and sensor measurement data;

providing a best-fit location for each location-unknown environmental sensor by triangulating said location-unknown environmental sensor to provide a triangulated latitude and longitude;

setting said triangulated latitude and longitude for said location-unknown environmental sensor to become a location-known environmental sensor that is part of the set of renewable energy systems.

7. A computer processor implemented method of identifying the location of a renewable energy system as in claim 6, wherein said sensor measurement data is simulated sensor measurement data according to environmental conditions at said longitude and latitude pair and said step of correlating by said computer processor each location-unknown environmental sensor to at least one location-known environmental sensor is according to said location-known environmental sensors longitude and latitude pair and said simulated sensor measurement data.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein said environmental conditions at said longitude and latitude pair are estimated.

9. A method as in claim 7, wherein said environmental conditions at said longitude and latitude pair are observed.

10. A method as in claim 6, wherein said sensor measurement data is selected from the group consisting of pyranometer sensor measurement data, pyrheliometer sensor measurement data, photovoltaic reference cell sensor measurement data, radiometer sensor measurement data, pyrgeometer sensor measurement data and anemometer sensor measurement data.

11. A computer processor implemented method of identifying the location of a renewable energy system, said method comprising the steps of;

providing a location-unknown renewable energy system having production data;

storing the production data in a computer processor;

filtering said production data day by day for favorable weather conditions by a computer processor to provide filtered production data for each filtered day;

identifying and saving the start of production, peak of production and end of production for each filtered day in a computer processor;

calculating solar noon for each filtered day by a computer processor;

calculating longitude bias for each filtered day by a computer processor according to an equation of time and the peak of production;

calculating skew of production by a computer processor according to the start of production, peak of production and end of production for each filtered day;

calculating longitude for one location-unknown renewable energy system by a computer processor according to the longitude bias and skew of production for each filtered day;

setting said longitude for said location-unknown renewable energy system to become a location-known renewable energy system that becomes part of a set of location-known renewable energy systems.

12. A method as in claim 11, wherein said production data is simulated production data according to environmental conditions at said longitude and latitude pair and said step of correlating by said computer processor each location-unknown renewable energy system to at least one location-known renewable energy system is according to said location-known renewable energy systems longitude and latitude pair and said simulated production data.

13. A method as in claim 12, wherein said environmental conditions at said longitude and latitude pair are estimated.

14. A method as in claim 12, wherein said environmental conditions at said longitude and latitude pair are observed.

16. A computer processor implemented method of identifying the location of an environmental sensor, said method comprising the steps of;

providing a set of environmental sensors having at least two location-known environmental sensors each having a longitude and latitude pair and sensor measurement data;

storing the longitude and latitude pair and sensor measurement data in a computer processor;

providing at least one location-unknown environmental sensor in a computer processor;

correlating by said computer processor each location-unknown environmental sensor to at least one location-known environmental sensor according to said location-known renewable energy systems longitude and latitude pair and sensor measurement data;

providing a best-fit location for each location-unknown environmental sensor by triangulating said location-unknown environmental sensor to provide a triangulated latitude and longitude;

setting said triangulated latitude and longitude for said location-unknown environmental sensor to become a location-known environmental sensor that is part of the set of renewable energy systems.

17. A computer processor implemented method of identifying the location of a renewable energy system as in claim 16, wherein said sensor measurement data is simulated sensor measurement data according to environmental conditions at said longitude and latitude pair and said step of correlating by said computer processor each location-unknown environmental sensor to at least one location-known environmental sensor is according to said location-known environmental sensors longitude and latitude pair and said simulated sensor measurement data.

18. A method as in claim 17, wherein said environmental conditions at said longitude and latitude pair are estimated.

19. A method as in claim 17, wherein said environmental conditions at said longitude and latitude pair are observed.

20. A method as in claim 16, wherein said sensor measurement data is selected from the group consisting of pyranometer sensor measurement data, pyrheliometer sensor measurement data, photovoltaic reference cell sensor measurement data, radiometer sensor measurement data, pyrgeometer sensor measurement data and anemometer sensor measurement data.

21. A computer processor implemented method of identifying the location of a solar irradiance sensor, said method comprising the steps of;

providing a location-unknown solar irradiance sensor having solar irradiance sensor data in a computer processor;

storing the solar irradiance sensor data in a computer processor;

filtering said solar irradiance sensor data day by day for favorable weather conditions by a computer processor to provide filtered solar irradiance sensor data for each filtered day;

identifying and saving the start of production, peak of production and end of production for each filtered day in a computer processor;

calculating solar noon for each filtered day by a computer processor;

calculating longitude bias for each filtered day by a computer processor according to an equation of time and the peak of production;

calculating skew of observation by a computer processor according to the start of production, peak of production and end of production for each filtered day;

calculating longitude for one location-unknown solar irradiance sensor by a computer processor according to the longitude bias and skew of observation for each filtered day;

setting said longitude for the location-unknown renewable energy system to become a location-known renewable energy system that becomes part of a set of location-known renewable energy systems.

22. A computer processor implemented method of identifying the location of a renewable energy system as in claim 21, wherein said solar irradiance sensor data is simulated solar irradiance sensor data according to environmental conditions at said longitude and latitude pair and said step of correlating by said computer processor each location-unknown environmental sensor to at least one location-known environmental sensor is according to said location-known environmental sensors longitude and latitude pair and said simulated solar irradiance sensor data.

23. A method as in claim 22, wherein said environmental conditions at said longitude and latitude pair are estimated.

24. A method as in claim 22, wherein said environmental conditions at said longitude and latitude pair are observed.