Sunpower Corporation

Solarbridge Technologies, Inc.

Enphase Energy, Inc.

Ravindranath Naiknaware

Triet Tu Le

Henry Frazier Pruett

Robert Batten

Vincenzo DiTommaso

Terri Shreeve Fiez

Gary Baker

James Dorenkamp

Kartikeya Mayaram

Keith Robert Slavin

Jorell A Olson

A distributed energy conversion system may include one or more DC power sources and two or more inverters to convert DC power from the power sources to AC power. The AC power from the two or more inverters may be combined to provide a single AC output. A module may include one or more photovoltaic cells and two or more inverters. An integrated circuit may include power electronics to convert DC input power to AC output power and processing circuitry to control the power electronics. The AC output power may be synchronized with an AC power distribution system.

Distributed energy conversion systems

An electrical assembly may include an enclosure having a base portion to attach the enclosure to a panel and a heat dissipating portion opposite the base portion, a circuit board having a first thermal interface on a first side of the board, a second thermal interface on a second side of the board, and a thermally conductive portion to provide enhanced thermal conduction between the first thermal interface and the second thermal interface, a power electronic device having a thermal interface coupled to the first thermal interface of the circuit board, a heat spreader arranged to transfer heat to the heat dissipating portion of the enclosure, and a thermally conductive pad coupled between the second thermal interface of the circuit board and the heat spreader.

Electrical junction box with removable sealing cover

A method of determining whether service is needed on a solar array includes gathering current data with regard to current solar array performance and environmental conditions, collecting weather data, accessing a storage for historical performance data, using the current data, weather data and historical data to generate a predicted performance, comparing the predicted performance to the current solar array performance data to determine if service is needed and generate comparison data, and analyzing the comparison data to determine a type of service needed, if service is needed.

Predictive service requirement estimation for photovoltaic arrays

A photovoltaic system may include a first photovoltaic component having local power optimization functionality to process power at a first level, a second photovoltaic component to process power at a second level, and optimization logic to command the first photovoltaic component to accommodate system-level power optimization. The first component may be reconfigurable to accommodate the system-level optimization. The entire system may be dynamically reconfigured to continuously operate at the highest overall level of system efficiency.

Systemic optimization of photovoltaic apparatus

Serviceable electrical box thermal management

A method for testing a photovoltaic (PV) module having an integrated power converter includes: obtaining a reference output signature of a PV module design in response to a flash pattern; applying the flash pattern to a PV module under test; acquiring an observed output signature of the PV module under test in response to the flash pattern; and comparing the observed output signature of the PV module under test to the reference output signature. Second reference output and observed output signatures may be obtained in response to a second flash pattern. The output signatures may be combined using various techniques. One or more parameters of the integrated power converter may be preset to one or more predetermined states prior to applying a flash pattern.

Flash testing of photovoltaic modules with integrated electronics

A method for synchronizing distributed generation power sources during an islanding event may include synchronizing a first one of the islanded local power sources to a master local reference, and synchronizing a second one of the islanded local power sources to the master local reference. In-rush current may be controlled by energizing the local load sequentially in stages when a utility grid is connected to the point of common connection. The local loads may also be selectively energized in response to the amount of available local power generating capacity in an islanding situation. A method for controlling a system having local loads and local power sources may include evaluating the power available from local power sources, adaptively controlling the local loads in response to the power available from the local power sources, and operating the local loads and local power sources as an independent system during an islanding event.

Islanded operation of distributed power sources

A method of detecting faults in a solar power system includes monitoring at least one operating parameter including outputs from a solar module, inputs and outputs to a microinverter, and inputs and outputs of a power optimizer, comparing the operating parameter to at least one of an expected value or another operating parameter, using results of the comparing to determine if there is a fault event, analyzing a location of an entity in the system that generated the operating parameter to localize the fault event, and performing remedial action on a location of the fault event.

Hierarchical fault prediction, detection and localization in PV systems with distributed electronics

A method for testing a photovoltaic (PV) module includes applying a test sequence to the integrated power converter, reversing the integrated power converter in response to the test sequence, and obtaining test results from the PV module in response to the test sequence. The test sequence may include applying reverse excitation power to output terminals of the reversible integrated power converter. The reverse excitation power may provide bootstrap power to one or more components of the integrated power converter. The test method may include activating substantially the entire reversible drive train, testing the drive train and characterizing the PV cells in the module in response to the reverse excitation power.

Testing of module integrated electronics using power reversal

In some embodiments, a system includes a power system coupled to a power bus, and a power line communication (PLC) gateway coupled in series with the power bus. In other embodiments, a system includes first and second power circuits coupled in series with a power bus, and first and second power-line communication circuits coupled in series with the power bus. In additional embodiments, a system includes a power converter coupled to a power bus and having one or more switching frequencies, and a power-line communication circuit coupled to the power bus and having one or more communication frequencies, where at least one of the switching frequencies is substantially greater than at least one of the communication frequencies.

Power-line communication coupling

A method for converting power from a photovoltaic (PV) panel having substrings of PV cells, the method includes converting power from a first substring of the PV panel to generate a first DC output having a fixed portion and a variable portion, converting power from a second substring of the PV panel to generate a second DC output having a fixed portion and a variable portion, and combining the first and second DC outputs to generate a combined DC output. A power converter may include an open-loop switching stage to receive DC power, a transformer having a primary winding coupled to the open-loop switching stage, and first and second secondary windings, a first rectifier bridge coupled to the first secondary winding, a second rectifier bridge coupled to the second secondary winding, and a regulator coupled to the second rectifier bridge.

Multi-path converters for PV substrings

Junction box thermal management

A method of operating a switching power converter may include determining an average value of a measured parameter for substantially each switching cycle, and adjusting a control parameter during substantially each switching cycle in response to a corresponding one of the average values. In one embodiment, the control parameter comprises a switch duty cycle, and the measured parameter comprises an output current. Determining the average value of the measured parameter may include obtaining a first sample of the measured parameter during a switching cycle, and calculating the average value of the measured parameter during the switching cycle in response to the first sample.

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Portland, OR, United States of America

Ravindranath Naiknaware