Design Systems and Methods for Solar Power Equipment

• US 20150254381A1
• Filed: 05/19/2015
• Published: 09/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpha Technologies Services, Inc. (EnerSys)
• Original Assignee: Alpha Technologies Incorporated (EnerSys)
• Inventors: Meyer, John R., Petroski, Gordon H.
• Granted Patent: US 10,042,963 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 6/001 having photovoltaic cells
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/046 PV modules composed of a plurality of thin film solar cells deposited on the same substrate
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/46 Conversion of thermal power into mechanical power, e.g. Rankine, Stirling or solar thermal engines

Abstract

Power equipment designed for use at a particular location comprises an insolation database, a load database, a processing system, and solar power equipment. The insolation database comprises insolation values associated with a plurality of geographic data points. The load database associates appropriate power equipment with load requirements. The processing system determines a solar power design from load requirements generated from the insolation database based on the insolation values associated with a geographic data point closest to the particular location and the load requirements selected from the load database. The solar power equipment is installed according to the solar power design.

Claims

1. Power equipment designed for use at a particular location, comprising:

an insolation database comprising insolation values associated with a plurality of geographic data points;

a load database associating appropriate power equipment with load requirements; and

a processing system for determining a solar power design from load requirements generated from the insolation database based on the insolation values associated with a geographic data point closest to the particular location and the load database; and

solar power equipment installed according to the solar power design.

2. Power equipment as recited in claim 1, further comprising a user interface to allow entry of system specifications, where the processing system further generates the solar power design based on the system specifications.

3. Power equipment as recited in claim 1, in which the processing system generates a plurality of solar power designs.

4. Power equipment as recited in claim 3, further comprising a user interface for allowing one of the plurality of solar power designs to be selected.

5. Power equipment as recited in claim 1, further comprising a user interface, wherein

the user interface allows entry of system specifications;

the processing system generates a plurality of solar power designs further based on the system specifications; and

the user interface further allows one of the plurality of solar power designs to be selected.

6. Power equipment as recited in claim 1, in which:

the insolation database contains at least first and second insolation values; and

the processing system generates a first solar power design based on the first value stored in the insolation database; and

the processing system generates a second solar power design based on the second value stored in the insolation database.

7. Power equipment as recited in claim 6, in which:

the first value is an average insolation value; and

the second value is a minimum insolation value.

8. Power equipment as recited in claim 7, in which a first cost associated with the first solar power design is less than a second cost associated with the second solar power design.

9. A method of operating power equipment at a particular location, comprising:

providing, in a processing system, an insolation database comprising insolation values associated with a plurality of geographic data points;

providing, in the processing system, a load database associating appropriate solar power equipment with load requirements;

selecting, using the processing system, a geographic data point closest to the particular location;

generating, using the processing system, load requirements from the insolation database based on the insolation values associated with the selected geographic data point;

generating, using the processing system, from the load database a list of solar power equipment appropriate for the load requirements; and

generating, using the processing system, a solar power design based on the load requirements generated from the insolation database and the list of power equipment generated from the load database; and

installing solar power equipment at the particular location according to the solar power design.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

providing a user interface for allowing entry of system specifications; and

generating the solar power design further based on the system specifications.

11. A method as recited in claim 9, in which a plurality of solar power designs are generated.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

providing a user interface; and

selecting one of the plurality of solar power designs using the user interface.

13. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

providing a user interface;

entering system specifications using the user interface;

generating a plurality of solar power designs further based on the system specifications; and

selecting one of the plurality of solar power designs using the user interface.

14. A method as recited in claim 9, in which the insolation database contains at least first and second insolation values, the method further comprising the steps of:

generating a first solar power design based on the first value stored in the insolation database; and

generating a second solar power design based on the second value stored in the insolation database.

15. A method as recited in claim 14, in which:

the first value is an average insolation value; and

the second value is a minimum insolation value.

16. A method as recited in claim 15, in which a first cost associated with the first solar power design is less than a second cost associated with the second solar power design.

17. Power equipment designed for use at a particular location, comprising:

a user interface that allows entry of system specifications;

an insolation database comprising insolation values associated with a plurality of geographic data points;

a load database associating appropriate power equipment with load requirements; and

a processing system for generating a plurality of solar power designs based on load requirements generated from the insolation database based on the system specifications, the insolation values associated with a geographic data point closest to the particular location, and the load database; and

solar power equipment installed according to the solar power design.

18. Power equipment as recited in claim 17, in which the user interface further allows one of the plurality of solar power designs to be selected.

19. Power equipment as recited in claim 17, in which:

the insolation database contains at least average and minimum insolation values; and

the processing system generates a first equipment proposal based on the average insolation value stored in the insolation database; and

the processing system generates a second solar power design based on the minimum value stored in the insolation database.

20. Power equipment as recited in claim 19, in which a first cost associated with the first solar power design is less than a second cost associated with the second solar power design.