Monitoring of distributed power harvesting systems using DC power sources

• US 11,002,774 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2020
• Issued: 05/11/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solaredge Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Solaredge Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Adest, Meir, Handelsman, Lior, Galin, Yoav, Fishelov, Amir, Sella, Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivera Vargas, Manuel A
• Application Number:
  US16/823,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20200217877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 418 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/125 Utility meter reading systems specially adapted for determining the environmental impact of user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/14 Displaying of utility usage with respect to time, e.g. for monitoring evolution of usage or with respect to weather conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/30 Remote utility meter reading systems specially adapted for metering the generated energy or power
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/35 Monitoring the performance of renewable electricity generating systems, e.g. of solar panels
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/133 by using digital technique
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/063 related to remote communication
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00009 using pulsed signals
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00026 involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/26 involving maximum power point tracking control for photovoltaic sources maximum power point systems in particular G05F1/67
• 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: Y02B 10/10 Photovoltaic [PV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/34 Smart metering supporting the carbon neutral operation of end-user applications in buildings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 : Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 : Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/70 : Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 : Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/123 : the energy generation units being or involving renewable energy sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 : State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 : Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 : using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 : using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 : using wireless data transmission

Abstract

A system includes a control circuit and a computer. The control circuit includes a control circuit configured to receive data from at least one solar panel, convert the received data according to a communication protocol, and forward the converted data via the communication protocol. The computer includes software that, when executed by the computer, causes the computer to receive, via the communication protocol, the converted data, detect, based on the received converted data, a problem in the at least one solar panel, and output, to a display and based on the detected problem, a status of the at least one solar panel corresponding to a time at which the data was collected.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a computer comprising software that, when executed, causes the computer to;

receive, from a control circuit of at least one solar panel, data that was collected from the at least one solar panel, wherein the data comprises at least one of a location, a temperature, a spatial orientation, or a lighting condition associated with the at least one solar panel;

determine, based on the data, an expected power of the at least one solar panel;

receive, from the control circuit, a measured power of the at least one solar panel;

detect, based on a comparison between the measured power and the expected power, a fault in the at least one solar panel, and

output, to a display and based on the detected fault, a status of the at least one solar panel.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the software, when executed, further causes the computer to generate, based on the data, curves of power production over time, and

wherein the software, when executed, causes the computer to detect the fault further based on the curves of power production.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the software, when executed, further causes the computer to extrapolate the curves of power production for each solar panel of the at least one solar panel, and

wherein the software, when executed, causes the computer to detect the fault further based on the extrapolated curves of power production.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the computer is further configured to compare the extrapolated curves of power production with each other, and

wherein the software, when executed, causes the computer to detect the fault further based on the comparison of the extrapolated curves of power production.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the software, when executed, further causes the computer to detect a power anomaly based on the extrapolated curves of power production.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the software, when executed, further causes the computer to perform a fault detection analysis.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the software, when executed, further causes the computer to extrapolate missing data from the data, and

wherein the software, when executed, causes the computer to detect the fault further based on the missing data.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data comprises a unique identifier specific to a monitoring module associated with the at least one solar panel.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the computer is further configured to:

receive, from a second control circuit of at least one other solar panel, second data that was collected from the at least one other solar panel;

determine, based on the second data, a second expected power of the at least one other solar panel, wherein the second expected power is different from the expected power of the at least one solar panel; and

receive, from the second control circuit, a second measured power of the at least one other solar panel; and

detect, based on a comparison between the second measured power and the second expected power, a second fault in the at least one other solar panel.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, by a central analysis system from a control circuit of at least one solar panel, data that was collected from the at least one solar panel, wherein the data comprises at least one of a location, a temperature, a spatial orientation, or a lighting condition associated with the at least one solar panel;

determining, based on the data, an expected power of the at least one solar panel;

receiving, from the control circuit, a measured power of the at least one solar panel;

detecting, based on a comparison between the measured power and the expected power, a fault in the at least one solar panel; and

outputting, for display and based on the detected fault, a status of the at least one solar panel.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising generating, based on the data, curves of power production over time,

wherein the detecting the fault is further based on the curves of power production.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising extrapolating the curves of power production for each solar panel of the at least one solar panel,

wherein the detecting the fault is further based on the extrapolated curves of power production.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising comparing the extrapolated curves of power production with each other, and

wherein the detecting the fault is further based on the comparison of the extrapolated curves of power production.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising detecting a power anomaly based on the extrapolated curves of power production.

15. The method according to claim 10, further comprising performing a fault detection analysis.

16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising extrapolating missing data from the data,

wherein the detecting the fault is further based on the missing data.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the data comprises a unique identifier specific to a monitoring module associated with the at least one solar panel.

18. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, from a second control circuit of at least one other solar panel, second data that was collected from the at least one other solar panel;

determining, based on the second data, a second expected power of the at least one other solar panel, wherein the second expected power is different from the expected power of the at least one solar panel; and

receiving, from the second control circuit, a second measured power of the at least one other solar panel; and

detecting, based on a comparison between the second measured power and the second expected power, a second fault in the at least one other solar panel.