Maximum power control for a solar array connected to a load

• US 4,404,472 A
• Filed: 12/28/1981
• Issued: 09/13/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary of Agriculture
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Steigerwald, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): BEHA JR, WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US06/334,845
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 363/17, 363/80, 363/96, 363/98, 323/906, 323/300, 307/45, 307/46, 320/32, 320/35
• US Class Current: 307/46
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/67 to the maximum power available from a generator, e.g. from solar cell
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/26 involving maximum power point tracking control for photovoltaic sources
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 136/293 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 323/906 Solar cell systems

Abstract

An analog and a digital control is provided which causes a dc to ac inverter operated in the constant power mode to supply sinusoidal current to a utility while drawing maximum power from a solar array. The current drawn from the array is forced to be proportional to the array voltage by a variable gain amplifier so that the inverter presents a resistive load to the array which remains statically stable under rapid changes of insolation while using a perturb-and-observe method of maximum power tracking. The perturb-and-observe method adjusts the gain of the variable gain amplifier to achieve maximum power output from the solar array.

Claims

1. A control for providing maximum power from a solar array for varying levels of insolation and temperature, said solar array interfaced to a load by a power converter, said control comprising:

means for providing a signal proportional to the array voltage;

means for providing a signal proportional to the array current;

variable gain means receiving said array voltage signal and providing a commanded array current proportional to the array voltage;

means for supplying a command to said power converter to draw commanded array current from said solar array;

means for varying the gain of said variable gain means to draw maximum power from said array, said means including means for repeatedly sensing whether the power supplied by the power converter to the load is increasing or decreasing, and means for changing the gain of said variable gain means in one direction as long as the power to the load is sensed to be increasing and changing the gain of said variable gain means in an opposite direction whenever the power supplied to the load is sensed to be decreasing.

5. The control of claims 1 or 4 wherein said means for supplying a command comprises summer compensator means taking the difference between commanded and actual array current and providing an output current magnitude comand to maintain commanded array current.

6. The control of claims 1, 2 or 4 wherein said means for repeatedly sensing includes an input of commanded line current which is repeatedly sensed to determine whether the power supplied is increasing or decreasing.

2. A control for providing maximum power from a solar array for varying levels of insolation and temperature, said solar array interfaced to a load utility grid by a dc to ac inverter, said control comprising:

means for providing a signal proportional to the array voltage;

means for providing a signal proportional to the array current;

variable gain means receiving said array voltage signal and providing a commanded array current proportional to the array voltage;

means for supplying a command to said dc to ac inverter to draw commanded array current from said solar array and provide sinusoidal current at the utility frequency to the utility grid, said means having

summer compensator means taking the difference between commanded and actual array current and providing an output current magnitude command to maintain commanded array current;

means for providing a signal in phase with utility voltage; and

means for adjusting the signal in phase with utility voltage by said magnitude command to provide a dc to ac inverter command;

means for varying the gain of said variable gain means to draw maximum power from said array, said means including means for repeatedly sensing whether the power supplied by the inverter to utility grid is increasing or decreasing; and

means for changing the gain of said variable gain means in one direction as long as the power to the utility grid is sensed to be increasing and changing the gain of said variable gain means in an opposite direction whenever the power supplied to the utility grid is sensed to be decreasing.

3. The control of claim 2 wherein said means for providing a signal in phase with the utility voltage comprises a phase locked loop transformer coupled to the utility voltage.

4. A control for providing maximum power from a solar array for varying levels of insolation and temperature, said solar array interfaced to a dc source by a dc to dc converter, said control comprising:

means for providing a signal proportional to the array voltage;

means for providing a signal proportional to the array current;

variable gain means receiving said array voltage signal and providing a commanded array current proportional to the array voltage;

means for supplying a command to said dc to dc converter to draw commanded array current from said solar array; and

means for varying the gain of said variable gain means to draw maximum power from said array, said means having

means for repeatedly sensing whether the power supplied by the dc to dc converter to the dc source is increasing or decreasing; and

means for changing the gain of said variable gain means in one direction as long as the power to the dc source is sensed to be increasing and changing the gain of said variable gain means in an opposite direction whenever the power supplied to the dc source is sensed to be decreasing.