Integrated Photovoltaic Panel Circuitry

• US 20130320771A1
• Filed: 06/04/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solaredge Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Solaredge Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Adest, Meir
• Granted Patent: US 10,115,841 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/82
• 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 31/04 adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices testing thereof during manufacture H01L22/00; testing thereof after manufacture H02S50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/10 Parallel operation of dc sources
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/34 comprising specially adapted electrical connection means to be structurally associated with the PV module, e.g. junction boxes
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/36 characterised by special electrical interconnection means between two or more PV modules, e.g. electrical module-to-module connection
• 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: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

A photovoltaic module is presented, which may include a photovoltaic panel and a converter circuit having a primary input connected to the photovoltaic panel and a secondary output galvanically isolated from the primary input. The primary input may be connectible to multiple input terminals within a junction box and at least one of the input terminals may be electrically connected to a ground. The photovoltaic module may include multiple interconnected photovoltaic cells connected electrically to multiple connectors (for example bus-bars). The photovoltaic module may include input terminals operable for connecting to the connectors and an isolated converter circuit. The isolated converter circuit may include a primary input connected to the input terminals and a secondary output galvanically isolated from the primary input.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a photovoltaic panel;

an converter circuit including a primary input connected to said photovoltaic panel and a secondary output galvanically isolated from said primary input.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a junction box, wherein said primary input is connectible to a plurality of input terminals within said junction box, wherein at least one of said input terminals is electrically connected to a ground.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said converter circuit is selected from the group consisting of:

a Cuk circuit, a buck circuit, a buck-boost circuit, a buck and boost circuit, a boost circuit, a full-bridge circuit, a half-bridge circuit, a push-pull circuit, a resonant forward circuit, a forward circuit, a half-forward circuit, a ringing choke converter, and a flyback circuit.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said converter circuit converts DC power on said primary input to a DC power on said secondary output.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said converter circuit converts DC power on said primary input to alternating current (AC) power on said secondary output.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a duty cycle of said isolated converter circuit is adjustable to give an adjustable open circuit voltage across said secondary output.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein both of said primary input and said secondary output are a single direct-current (DC) input and output respectively.

8. A power harvesting system comprising:

a plurality of photovoltaic power sources;

a plurality of converter circuits, each converter circuit having primary inputs electrically connected to a respective one of the photovoltaic power sources, and each converter circuit having secondary outputs galvanically isolated from the primary inputs; and

a photovoltaic string including a series connection of the secondary outputs of said isolated converter circuits.

9. The power harvesting system of claim 8, further comprising:

a load connected across said photovoltaic string.

10. The power harvesting system of claim 9, wherein said load is selected from the group consisting of:

a DC to alternating current (AC) inverter, a three-level DC to AC inverter, a grid tied DC to AC inverter, a DC battery, a DC motor and a DC to DC converter input.

11. The power harvesting system of claim 8, wherein a duty cycle of said converter circuits are adjustable to give an adjustable nominal voltage across said photovoltaic string.

12. The power harvesting system of claim 8, wherein the primary inputs of the converter circuits are referenced to a common ground connection.

13. The power harvesting system of claim 12, wherein the common ground connection is earth ground.

14. The power harvesting system of claim 12, wherein the photovoltaic string is referenced to the common ground connection at the secondary outputs of one of the converter circuits.

15. The power harvesting system of claim 14, wherein the one converter circuit having its secondary outputs connected to the common ground connection is an intermediately series connected converter circuit within the photovoltaic string.

16. The power harvesting system of claim 14, wherein, when converting power from their respective photovoltaic power sources, one or more of the converter circuits have a positive voltage at their secondary outputs with respect to the common ground connection and a remainder of the converter circuits have a negative voltage at their secondary outputs with respect to the common ground connection.

17. The power harvesting system of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of photovoltaic power sources is a photovoltaic panel.

18. A method comprising:

connecting primary input terminals of a respective plurality of power converters to a respective plurality of photovoltaic panels;

connecting secondary output terminals of said respective power converters in a serial string, wherein, within each power converter, the primary input terminals are internally galvanically isolated from the secondary output terminals; and

connecting the series string across the input of a direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) converter.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

referencing the primary inputs of one or more of the power converters to a common ground.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

referencing the series string to the common ground at the secondary outputs of one of the power converters that is intermediately connected in the series string.