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Integrated photovoltaic panel with sectional maximum power point tracking

  • US 9,837,556 B2
  • Filed: 10/26/2012
  • Issued: 12/05/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2011
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An integrated photovoltaic panel, comprising:

  • a substrate;

    a plurality of sections disposed on the substrate, each of the plurality of sections including;

    a respective electric circuit carrier,a respective DC-DC converter including (a) a switching device, a freewheeling device, and a control unit disposed on the electric circuit carrier of the section, an (b) input port, and (c) an output port, anda respective photovoltaic portion including one or more interconnected photovoltaic (PV) cell units electrically coupled to the input port of the DC-DC converter of the section;

    a shared bus bar having opposing first and second ends, the first end of the shared bus bar being physically and electrically connected to a bonding area of the electric circuit carrier of a first section of the plurality of sections such that the first end is electrically coupled to the input port of the DC-DC converter of the first section, the second end of the shared bus bar being physically and electrically coupled to a bonding area of the electric circuit carrier of a second section of the plurality of sections such that the second end is electrically coupled to the output port of the DC-DC converter of the second section, and a portion of the shared bus bar between the first and second ends of the shared bus bar being physically and electrically connected to the photovoltaic portion of the first section of the plurality sections; and

    material sealing each PV cell unit and each DC-DC converter to the substrate;

    wherein;

    output ports of the DC-DC converters of a first subset of the plurality of sections are electrically coupled in series to form a first group of sections,output ports of the DC-DC converters of a second subset of the plurality of sections are electrically coupled in series to form a second group of sections,each of the first and second groups of sections includes at least two sections,each section of the first group of sections is different from each section of the second group of sections,the first group of sections is electrically coupled in parallel with the second group of sections, andthe integrated photovoltaic panel further comprises a first enemy storage inductor electrically coupled in series with the first group of sections and a second energy storage inductor electrically coupled in series with the second group of sections.

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