Photovoltaic systems

• US 9,954,480 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2014
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zinniatek Limited
• Original Assignee: Zinniatek Limited
• Inventors: Haynes, Andrew Leo, Partridge, Ashton Cyril, Bates, David J., Liu, Pengcheng, Toh, Seng Oon, Nguang, Sing Kiong, Spanoche, Sorin
• Primary Examiner(s): Kang, Tae-Sik
• Application Number:
  US14/892,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20160105144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 2020/13 Overlaying arrangements similar to roof tiles
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 2025/6008 by using toothed elements
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 25/61 for fixing to the ground or to building structures
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 3/044 the deformations being pontual, e.g. dimples
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 3/048 in the form of ribs integral with the element or local variations in thickness of the element, e.g. grooves, microchannels
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/048 Encapsulation of modules
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 20/25 Roof tile elements
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 20/26 Building materials integrated with PV modules, e.g. façade elements H02S20/25 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/32 comprising DC/AC inverter means associated with the PV module itself, e.g. AC modules
• 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: Y02B 10/10 Photovoltaic [PV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/20 Solar thermal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/47 Mountings or tracking
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

This invention relates to a roofing panel for interconnection with one or more additional roofing panels. The roofing panel comprises a PV cell coupled to an inverter, and wireless (or optionally wired) power transfer circuitry for transmitting power to another roofing panel and/or the AC grid and/or to an AC inverter, and/or for receiving power from another roofing panel.

Claims

1. A master roofing panel for interconnection with one or more slave roofing panels, the master roofing panel comprising:

a PV cell coupled to an inverter,

a wireless power transfer circuitry comprising;

a first coupling circuitry comprising a first receiving inductor and a first rectifier for receiving and rectifying a first power transmitted from one of the one or more slave roofing panels, and

a second coupling circuitry comprising a transmitting inductor coupled to the inverter and comprising a second receiving inductor and a second rectifier for receiving and rectifying a second power from the PV cell,

wherein the first coupling circuitry and the second coupling circuitry are coupled to a unipolar inverter for transmitting the first power rectified by the first rectifier and the second power rectified by the second power to an AC grid as a unipolar output.

2. A roofing system that provides energy output comprising a plurality of interconnected roofing panels, at least one of the plurality of interconnected roofing panels being the master roofing panel according to claim 1, wherein the second coupling circuitry and the unipolar inverter are integrated into formed features of the master roofing panel to provide for capture, transfer and inversion of the second power from the PV cell for transfer of the second power of the PV cell to the AC grid.

3. Two or more roofing panels comprising the one or more slave roofing panels at least one of the two or more roofing panels being the master roofing panel according to claim 1, wherein the two or more roofing panels are arranged such that each of the two or more roofing panels receives power from a previous slave roofing panel via wireless power another transfer circuitry and each of the one or more slave roofing panels transmits the power to a subsequent roofing panel via a third wireless power transfer circuitry, and the master roofing panel receives the power from the previous slave roofing panel for transfer of the power to the AC grid.

4. The two or more roofing panels according to claim 3, further comprising a bus with nodes for receiving the power transmitted from the previous slave roofing panel and transmitting the power to the subsequent roofing panel.