Texas Instruments Corporation

Solexel, Inc.

Cvc Products, Inc.

Sigmagen Inc.

Cvc, Inc.

Ob Realty, LLC

Other

Tesla, Inc.

Trutag Technologies, Inc.

Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems, Inc.

Veeco-cvc, Inc.

Veeco Instruments Inc.

Beamreach-solexel Assets LLC

Selexel, Inc.

Veeco Rochester Inc.

Mehrdad M Moslehi

David Xuan-Qi Wang

Pawan Kapur

Cecil J Davis

Karl-Josef Kramer

Virendra V Rana

Ajit P Paranjpe

Takao Yonehara

Thomas R Omstead

Sean M Seutter

George D Kamian

Lino A Velo

Yong Jin Lee

Somnath S Nag

Subramanian Tamilmani

Jay Ashjaee

Habib N Najm

Dorian Heimanson

Anthony Calcaterra

Randhir S Bubber

Pranav Anbalagan

Robert T Matthews

William J Messner

William Starks

Shiyuan Cheng

Heather Deshazer

Edward J Nagy

Michael Wingert

Xiangqun Chen

Panya Wongsenakhum

Suketu Arun Parikh

Sanjay Gopinath

Anand Deshpande

David R Campbell, Sr

Swaroop Kommera

Sam Tone Tor

David Dutton

Yasuyoshi Miyaji

Noriyuki Hayashi

Takamitsu Inahara

Solene Coutant

Boris Relja

David M Leet

Nevran Ozguven

Vivek Saraswat

Joe Kramer

Behzad M Moslehi

John I Jones

Sergey Belikov

Yong J Lee

John W Kuehne

Peter V Schwartz

Yen-Sheng Su

Kang Song

Jacques Kools

Thom Stalcup

Jalil Kamali

Benjamin Rattle

Gary Kendall

Benjamin Sheahan

Virenda V Rana

Emmanuel Van Kerschaver

Ahmad Kermani

Howard L Tigelaar

Ming-Jang Hwang

David Mordo

Steve S Huang

Jianjun Liang

Duncan Harwood

Jonathan D Albert

Gianluigi Mascolo

Pushkar Prabhakar Apte

Jing Shing Shu

Dwain R Jakubik

Sam A Cowley

Somnath Banerjee

Jeffrey F Boigenzahn

Paul E Spronz

Doug Crafts

Zeming Liu

Subbu Tamilmani

Burcu Ucok

Asli Buccu Ucok

Rafael Ricolcol

Homi Fatemi

Christopher J Mann

JianJun Liang

Kamran Manteghi

Gerry Olsen

K-Josef Kramer

Guihua Shang

Steven J Coonen

Yasuhiro Miyaji

Tokuyuki Hayashi

Jay Ash-Jaee

A remote-access switch and monitoring circuit for a solar photovoltaic module includes input and output leads connected via a remotely controllable series switch. The switch toggles between an on state that allows power delivery to a load and an off state that creates an open-circuit condition. A voltage measurement circuit performs real-time measurements of module voltage under both switch states during the daily power generation period. A current measurement circuit performs real-time current measurements when the series switch is on and a parallel switch is off. A temperature sensor records circuit temperature corresponding to ambient temperatures at daily wake-up and sleep times. A communication circuit transmits the collected voltage, current, and temperature data to a remote receiver.

Solar photovoltaic module remote access module switch and real-time temperature monitoring

Disclosed herein is add-on electronic circuit structures and methods for providing protection against reverse-electrical-current failures and for enabling comprehensive electrical (current-voltage sweep) and electro-optical (electroluminescence or EL using reserve current flow) testing of solar photovoltaic cells and modules having at least one multi-modal maximum-power-point tracking (MPPT) power optimizer integrated circuit chip to increase electrical energy generation yield of the modules. Such multi-modal MPPT power optimizer chips are used for distributed solar electric power generation enhancement in solar photovoltaic cells, modules, and systems under realistic operating conditions with non-ideal manufacturing and environmental variations (e.g., variable and/or non-uniform sunlight or daylight, mismatched cells, etc.).

Distributed multi-modal power maximizing integrated circuit for solar photovoltaic modules

Solar photovoltaic window blind slats for power generation from internal and external light sources are provided are provided. A plurality of solar cells are attached to at least two sides of a slat core. Distributed maximum power point tracking optimizer components are associated with each solar cell. The solar cells and corresponding distributed maximum power point tracking optimizer components on each slat side are connected in electrical series.

Solar photovoltaic blinds and curtains for residential and commercial buildings

A multi-modal maximum power point tracking optimization solar photovoltaic system is provided. A maximum power point tracking optimizer is connected to and powered by at least one solar cell. The maximum power point tracking optimizer configured to operate: in a pass-through mode when said at least one solar cell voltage is greater than a pass-through threshold and greater than a ratio of the open-circuit voltage of said at least one solar cell, said pass-through mode flowing current through a pass-through circuit; in an optimizing mode when said at least one solar cell voltage is greater than an optimizing threshold and less than a ratio of the open-circuit voltage of said at least one solar cell, said optimizing mode modulating current flow using a DC-to-DC switching circuit to direct the voltage of said at least solar cell towards said ratio of the open-circuit voltage; in an active bypass mode when said at least one solar cell voltage is less than an active bypass threshold, said active bypass mode flowing current through an active bypass circuit.

Multi-modal maximum power point tracking optimization solar photovoltaic system

A portable solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity generator module comprises a plurality of smart power slat (SPS) units, each SPS unit comprising a plurality of solar cells electrically connected together based on a specified cell interconnection design, and, at least one power maximizing integrated circuit collecting electricity generated by the plurality of solar cells. The plurality of SPS units are mechanically connected such that the SPS units can be retracted for volume compaction of the module, and can be expanded for increasing PV electricity generation by the module. The module can be used as part of an electric power supply with a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) power optimizer, storage battery and leads to connect to a load. The load can be AC or DC.

Rapidly deployable and transportable high-power-density smart power generators

An optical sensing system including an optical interrogator is operative with an array of reflective sensors, each sensor providing a separable reflected spectral response parameter such as a unique Gaussian standard deviation or reflected response compared to other sensors in the same operating wavelength range. The optical interrogator provides narrowband swept or broadband continuous optical power source to the array of FBG sensors, and an optical interrogator generates a g(x) representation of power vs wavelength of the reflected optical power and decomposes the representation into the wavelength of the individual sensors, thereby allowing operation of two or more FBG sensors in the same operating wavelength range.

Optical sensing system with separable spectrally overlapping sensor responses

A method for calculating a real-time effective temperature of a solar photovoltaic module at any operating time during power generation period between a daily wake-up time and sleep time of said solar photovoltaic module is provided. The method is based on, in part, measuring the solar photovoltaic module open-circuit voltage at said daily wake-up time and measuring the solar photovoltaic module open-circuit voltage at said operating time.

A distributed temperature sensor system has a pulsed laser coupled to a circulator, the circulator having a laser input and coupling energy to an optical reference coil in series with a measurement fiber having loops or helical turns, the circulator having a backscatter signal port coupling backscattered reflections from the measurement fiber. The backscatter signal port is coupled to a switch and mux, the switch and mux selecting either an anti-Stokes filter or a Stokes filter, the output of the mux coupled to a photodetector, the photodetector coupled to a histogram processor synchronized to the pulsed laser enable. The histogram processor uses the anti-Stokes and Stokes histogram counts associated with a sensor region to estimate a temperature of that sensor region.

Distributed temperature sensor with shortened sensing regions

A portable solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity generator module comprises a plurality of smart power slat (SPS) units, each SPS unit comprising a plurality of solar cells electrically connected together based on a specified cell interconnection design, and, N at least one power maximizing integrated circuit collecting electricity generated by the plurality of solar cells. The plurality of SPS units are mechanically connected such that the SPS units can be retracted for volume compaction of the module, and can be expanded for increasing PV electricity generation by the module. The module can be used as part of an electric power supply with a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) power optimizer, storage battery and leads to connect to a load. The load can be AC or DC.

A maximum power point tracking optimizer is connected to and powered by at least one solar cell. The maximum power point tracking optimizer configured to operate: in a pass-through mode when said at least one solar cell voltage is greater than a passthrough threshold and greater than a ratio of the open-circuit voltage of said at least one solar cell, said pass-through mode flowing current through a pass-through circuit; in an optimizing mode when said at least one solar cell voltage is greater than an optimizing threshold and less than a ratio of the open-circuit voltage of said at least one solar cell, said optimizing mode modulating current flow using a DC-to-DC switching circuit to direct the voltage of said at least solar cell towards said ratio of the open-circuit voltage; in an active bypass mode when said at least one solar cell voltage is less than an active bypass threshold, said active bypass mode flowing current through an active bypass circuit.

This disclosure enables high-productivity controlled fabrication of uniform porous semiconductor layers (made of single layer or multi-layer porous semiconductors such as porous silicon, comprising single porosity or multi-porosity layers). Some applications include fabrication of MEMS separation and sacrificial layers for die detachment and MEMS device fabrication, membrane formation and shallow trench isolation (STI) porous silicon (using porous silicon formation with an optimal porosity and its subsequent oxidation). Further, this disclosure is applicable to the general fields of photovoltaics, MEMS, including sensors and actuators, stand-alone, or integrated with integrated semiconductor microelectronics, semiconductor microelectronics chips and optoelectronics.

Apparatus and methods for uniformly forming porous semiconductor on a substrate

A photovoltaic module remote-access module switch and real-time temperature monitoring system is provided. In one embodiment, a remote-access module switch and monitoring circuit capable of communicating with a remote receiver and having a pair of output electrical leads, and a pair of input electrical leads connected to a pair of electrical power leads of a solar photovoltaic module is provided, and which further includes a series switch, a module voltage measurement circuit, a module current measurement circuit, a temperature sensor, and a communication circuit.

Fabrication methods and structures relating to backplanes for back contact solar cells that provide for solar cell substrate reinforcement and electrical interconnects are described. The method comprises depositing an interdigitated pattern of base electrodes and emitter electrodes on a backside surface of a semiconductor substrate, forming electrically conductive emitter plugs and base plugs on the interdigitated pattern, and attaching a backplane having a second interdigitated pattern of base electrodes and emitter electrodes at the conductive emitter and base plugs to form electrical interconnects.

Backplane reinforcement and interconnects for solar cells

Growing community of inventors

Los Altos, CA, United States of America

Mehrdad M Moslehi