Solar power generation apparatus and control method therefor

• US 6,259,017 B1
• Filed: 10/14/1999
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Takehara, Nobuyoshi, Manabe, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAMOND, ALAN D
• Application Number:
  US09/417,907
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 136/244, 136/291, 136/293, 363/49, 363/50, 363/55, 363/71, 323/906, 606/418
• US Class Current: 307/82
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/67 to the maximum power available from a generator, e.g. from solar cell
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02021 for solar cells electrical connection means, e.g. junction boxes, specially adapted for structural association with photovoltaic modules H02S40/34
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/048 Encapsulation of modules
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 136/291 Applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 323/906 Solar cell systems

Abstract

A solar power generation apparatus includes solar battery arrays, each of which has solar battery modules, non-isolated inverters, each of which converts direct-current power generated by one of the solar battery arrays to alternating-current power and provides the alternating-current power to a commercial power system, an earth leakage circuit breaker arranged between the non-isolated inverters and the commercial power system and connected to outputs of the non-isolated inverters in parallel, and a controller for controlling operation of the non-isolated inverters. The controller controls start-timing of the operation of at least one inverter to be different from that of another inverter. This arrangement can prevent any undesirable operation of the earth leakage circuit breaker.

Claims

1. A solar power generation apparatus comprising:

solar battery arrays, each of which has solar battery modules;

non-isolated inverters, each of which converts direct-current power generated by one of said solar battery arrays to alternating-current power and provides the alternating-current power to a commercial power system;

an earth leakage circuit breaker arranged between said non-isolated inverters and the commercial power system and connected to outputs of said non-isolated inverters in parallel; and

a controller which controls operation of said non-isolated inverters,

wherein said controller controls start-timing of the operation of at least one inverter to be different from that of another inverter.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein start-timings of operation of all the non-isolated inverters are different.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each solar battery array is formed by series connecting solar battery modules to form a string and parallely connecting a plurality of strings.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the solar battery modules has a conductive lower-surface reinforcing member.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said conductive lower-surface reinforcing member is formed from a metal.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the conductive lower-surface reinforcing member is grounded.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a time after a start condition is satisfied until the at least one inverter starts is set to be different from that after the start condition is satisfied until the another inverter starts so that the start-timings of the non-isolated inverters are different.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a start condition of the at least one inverter is set to be different from that of the another inverter so that the start-timings of the non-isolated inverters are different.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising transmission means for transferring a start-enabling signal or start-inhibiting signal to the at least one inverter from the another inverter, wherein the start-timing of said operation is controlled by the signal.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the signal is transferred after the operation of the another inverter has been started.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an operation-start-timing of the at least one inverter is different from that of the another inverter by not less than an operation time of said earth leakage circuit breaker.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls a period between the start-timing of the operation of the at least one inverter and that of the another inverter to 1 to 10 seconds.

13. A control method for a solar power generation apparatus having solar battery arrays each of which has solar battery modules, non-isolated inverters, each of which converts direct-current power generated by one of the solar battery arrays to alternating-current power and provides the alternating-current power to a commercial power system, and an earth leakage circuit breaker arranged between said non-isolated inverters and the commercial power system and connected to outputs of the non-isolated inverters in parallel, said method comprising the step of controlling start-timing of operation of at least one inverter to be different from that of another inverter.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of controlling all start-timings of operation of the non-isolated inverters to be different from each other.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of setting a time after a start condition is satisfied until the at least one inverter starts to be different from that after the start condition is satisfied until the another inverter starts so that the start-timings of the non-isolated inverters are different.

16. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of setting a start condition of the at least one inverter to be different from that of the another inverter so that the start-timings of the non-isolated inverters are different.

17. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of transferring a start-enabling signal or start-inhibiting signal to the at least one inverter from the another inverter, wherein the start-timing of said operation is controlled by the signal.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the signal is transferred after the operation of the another inverter has been started.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein the control step controls an operation-start-timing of the at least one inverter to be different from that of the another inverter by not less than an operation time of said earth leakage circuit breaker.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein in the controlling step, a period between the start-timing of the operation of the at least one inverter and that of the another inverter is controlled to 1 to 10 seconds.