PHOTOVOLTAIC ENERGY SYSTEM WITH SOLAR INTENSITY PREDICTION

• US 20170104449A1
• Filed: 08/25/2016
• Published: 04/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Con Edison Battery Storage, LLC
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Drees, Kirk H.
• Granted Patent: US 10,554,170 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 2020/16 Preventing shading effects
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 2201/00 Prediction; Simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/10 Devices for predicting weather conditions computers per se G06; display devices G09
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/12 Sunshine duration recorders measuring intensity of sunshine G01J
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/20 The dispersed energy generation being of renewable origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/22 The renewable source being solar energy
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/28 The renewable source being wind energy
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/003 Load forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future load demand
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/004 Generation forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future energy generation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/241 The oscillation concerning frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/38 Arrangements for parallely feeding a single network by two or more generators, converters or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/40 Synchronising a generator for connection to a network or to another generator
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 50/00 Monitoring or testing of PV systems, e.g. load balancing or fault identification
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/76 Power conversion electric or electronic aspects

Abstract

A photovoltaic energy system includes a photovoltaic field configured to convert solar energy into electrical energy, one or more solar intensity sensors configured to measure solar intensity and detect a cloud approaching the photovoltaic field, and a controller. The controller receives input from the solar intensity sensors and predicts a change in solar intensity within the photovoltaic field before the change in solar intensity within the photovoltaic field occurs. The controller is configured to preemptively adjust an electric power output of the photovoltaic energy system in response to predicting the change in solar intensity within the photovoltaic field.

Claims

1. A photovoltaic energy system comprising:

a photovoltaic field configured to convert solar energy into electrical energy;

one or more solar intensity sensors configured to measure solar intensity and detect a cloud approaching the photovoltaic field based on the measured solar intensity; and

a controller configured to use input from the one or more solar intensity sensors to predict a change in solar intensity within the photovoltaic field before the change in solar intensity occurs within the photovoltaic field;

wherein the controller is configured to preemptively adjust an electric power output of the photovoltaic energy system in response to predicting the change in solar intensity within the photovoltaic field.

2. The photovoltaic energy system of claim 1, wherein the one or more solar intensity sensors are located outside the photovoltaic energy field.

3. The photovoltaic energy system of claim 1, wherein the PV field has a long side and a short side;

wherein a greater number of the solar intensity sensors are located along the long side of the PV field and a lesser number of the solar intensity sensors are located along the short side of the PV field.

4. The photovoltaic energy system of claim 1, wherein the controller uses known locations of the one or more solar intensity sensors to predict when the change in solar intensity will occur within the PV field.

5. The photovoltaic energy system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to predict the change in solar intensity within the photovoltaic field by calculating at least one of a position, a velocity, a size, and an opacity value of the cloud approaching the PV field.

6. The photovoltaic energy system of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to predict the electric power output of the photovoltaic field from the position, velocity, size, and opacity of the cloud.

7. A method for controlling an electric power output of a photovoltaic field, the method comprising:

measuring solar intensity using one or more solar intensity sensors;

using input from the one or more solar intensity sensors to predict a change in solar intensity within the photovoltaic field before the change in solar intensity occurs within the photovoltaic field; and

preemptively adjusting an electric power output of the photovoltaic energy system in response to predicting the change in solar intensity within the photovoltaic field.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein predicting the change in solar intensity comprises detecting a cloud approaching the photovoltaic field.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising predicting a change in the electric power output of the photovoltaic field based on the predicted change in solar intensity.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein predicting a change in the electric power output of the photovoltaic field comprises:

determining one or more attributes of an approaching cloud; and

using the one or more attributes of the approaching cloud to predict the change in the electric power output of the photovoltaic field.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the one or more attributes of the approaching cloud comprises determining at least one of:

an area of the shadow created by the cloud;

a velocity of the cloud;

a direction the cloud is traveling; and

an opacity of the cloud.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the velocity of the cloud comprises:

identifying times at which two or more solar intensity sensors detect a change in solar intensity; and

using a difference between the identified times and known locations of the two or more solar intensity sensors to calculate the velocity of the cloud.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the size of the cloud comprises:

identifying which of the solar intensity sensors detect a change in solar intensity; and

determining the size of the cloud based on a distance between the identified solar intensity sensors.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the opacity of the cloud comprises calculating a decrease in solar intensity measured by the one or more solar intensity sensors.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the direction of the cloud comprises:

determining that a change in solar intensity is first detected by a first sensor of the solar intensity sensors and subsequently by a second sensor of the solar intensity sensors; and

determining that the cloud is moving in a direction from the first solar intensity sensor to the second solar intensity sensor.

16. A renewable energy system comprising:

a renewable energy field configured to convert a renewable energy source into electrical energy;

one or more sensors configured to detect a change in an environmental condition that will affect an electric power output of the renewable energy field; and

a controller configured to use input from the one or more sensors to predict a disturbance in the electric power output of the renewable energy field.

17. The renewable energy system of claim 16, wherein the renewable energy field comprises at least one of a photovoltaic field, a wind turbine field, a hydroelectric field, a tidal energy field, and a geothermal energy field.

18. The renewable energy system of claim 16, wherein the one or more sensors are located outside the renewable energy field and configured to detect the change in the environmental condition before the change occurs within the renewable energy field.

19. The renewable energy system of claim 16, wherein predicting the disturbance in the electric power output comprises using the input from the one or more sensors to predict a change in the environmental condition within the renewable energy field before the change in the environmental condition occurs within the renewable energy field.

20. The renewable energy system of claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to use the input from the one or more sensors to determine a time at which the disturbance is expected to occur and an amount by which the electric power output is expected to decrease as a result of the disturbance.