Method for use of static inverters in variable energy generation environments

• US 9,882,390 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2016
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tigo Energy, Inc
• Original Assignee: Tigo Energy, Inc
• Inventors: Avrutsky, Mordechay, Kikinis, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): CAVALLARI-SEE, DANIEL
• Application Number:
  US15/270,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20170012432A1
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/28 The renewable source being wind energy wind motors F03D
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/46 Controlling of the sharing of output between the generators, converters, or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/42 Circuits or arrangements for compensating for or adjusting power factor in converters or inverters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/42 Conversion of dc power input into ac power output without possibility of reversal
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/44 by static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/48 using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/76 Power conversion electric or electronic aspects

Abstract

A system and method to collect energy from generation systems such as, for example, wind farms or solar farms with widely distributed energy-generation equipment. In some cases, static inverters are used to feed the energy directly into the power grid. In some other cases, back-to-back static inverters are used create a high-voltage DC transmission line to collect power from multiple generation sites into one feed-in site.

Claims

1. A method of generating energy, comprising:

modifying an energy output of variable energy collectors by a first controller controlling outputs of the variable energy collectors;

routing the modified energy output of the variable energy collectors to a static inverter;

converting the electrical energy output to a first alternating current by the static inverter;

converting, by a transformer and a balancing transformer, the alternating current to a second alternating current with a predetermined voltage;

receiving measurements of a voltage phase on a grid; and

controlling timing of switches of the static inverter in accordance with the measurements of the voltage phase.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting by the static inverter a current at the predetermined voltage.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

sending data via a network about energy being output.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating data to a supervisory site.

5. An energy generation system, comprising:

one or more strings of variable energy collectors;

one or more string converters as managed by a first controller to combine voltage outputs of the one or more strings of variable energy collectors into a energy output stream;

the energy output stream routed to a static inverter via a bus, the static inverter comprising;

switches for converting the electrical energy output to an alternating current; and

a transformer arrangement comprising a transformer and a balancing transformer to convert the alternating current to an alternating current with a given voltage;

the first controller or a second controller receiving measurements of voltage phase on a grid; and

the first controller or the second controller to control timing of the switches in accordance with the measurements of the voltage phase.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said transformer arrangement outputs the alternating current with the given voltage.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first controller and/or the second controller can send data over a network about energy being output.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the first controller and/or the second controller can send data to a supervisory site and/or receive data from the supervisory site.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the transformer arrangement is configured to generate three phase alternating current.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the transformer arrangement comprises one or more filters to transform a waveform of the alternating current with the given voltage.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the transformer is a delta-wye-delta transformer.

12. The system of claim 5, wherein the first controller or the second controller communicates with a network such that the first controller and/or the second controller can send and receive data over the network regarding operation of the system.