Distributed energy conversion systems
View Patent ↗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.
1. A solar photovoltaic module comprising:
a plurality of photovoltaic cells to generate DC power in response to exposure to an amount of sunlight;
a plurality of integrated direct current-to-alternating current (DC-to-AC) inverters, wherein each integrated DC-to-AC inverter comprises (i) a DC input electrically coupled to a single, different photovoltaic cell of the plurality of photovoltaic cells and (ii) an AC output electrically coupled to a corresponding AC output of each other integrated DC-to-AC inverter; and
a first isolation layer, different from the integrated DC-to-AC inverters and the photovoltaic cells, separating each photovoltaic cell from each integrated DC-to-AC inverter.
2. The solar photovoltaic module of claim 1 , wherein the DC input of each integrated DC-to-AC inverter is electrically connected to the corresponding single photovoltaic cell via corresponding electrical interconnections that pass through the first isolation layer.
3. The solar photovoltaic module of claim 2 , further comprising a second isolation layer, different from the integrated DC-to-AC inverters and the photovoltaic cells, located between the first isolation layer and each integrated DC-to-AC inverter.
4. The solar photovoltaic module of claim 3 , further comprising an AC bus connected to the AC output of each integrated DC-to-AC inverter, wherein the AC bus is located between the first isolation layer and the second isolation layer.
5. The solar photovoltaic module of claim 1 , wherein the DC input and the AC output of each integrated DC-to-AC inverter is defined on a first side of the corresponding integrated DC-to-AC inverter that faces toward the corresponding single photovoltaic cell.
6. The solar photovoltaic module of claim 1 , wherein each of the integrated DC-to-AC inverters comprises an integrated power converter, wherein each integrated power converter comprises a plurality of electrical components established on a single integrated circuit.
7. The solar photovoltaic module of claim 1 , wherein each of the integrated DC-to-AC inverters comprises an integrated power converter, wherein each integrated power converter comprises a plurality of active electrical components established on a single integrated circuit and a plurality of passive components located apart from the single integrated circuit.
8. The solar photovoltaic module of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of active electrical components comprise at least one power transistor and the plurality of passive components comprise at least one capacitor.
9. The solar photovoltaic module of claim 1 , further comprising an encapsulation layer having a plurality of pockets defined in an inner side, wherein each of the integrated DC-to-AC inverters is positioned in a corresponding pocket of the encapsulation layer.
10. The solar photovoltaic module of claim 9 , further comprising:
a second isolation layer, different from the integrated DC-to-AC inverters and the photovoltaic cells, located between the first isolation layer and the encapsulation layer; and
an AC bus (i) connected to the AC output of each integrated DC-to-AC inverter and (ii) located between the first isolation layer and the second isolation layer.
11. A solar photovoltaic module comprising:
a plurality of strings of photovoltaic cells, wherein each string of photovoltaic cells comprises multiple individual photovoltaic cells electrically coupled together to generate a DC power in response to exposure to an amount of sunlight;
a plurality of integrated direct current-to-alternating current (DC-to-AC) inverters, wherein each integrated DC-to-AC inverter comprises (i) a DC input electrically coupled to a single, different string of photovoltaic cells and (ii) an AC output electrically coupled to a corresponding AC output of each other integrated DC-to-AC inverter; and
an isolation layer, different from the integrated DC-to-AC inverters and the photovoltaic cells, separating each photovoltaic cell from each integrated DC-to-AC inverter.
12. The solar photovoltaic module of claim 11 , wherein the DC input of each integrated DC-to-AC inverter is electrically connected to the corresponding single string of photovoltaic cells via corresponding electrical interconnections that pass through the isolation layer.
13. The solar photovoltaic module of claim 11 , wherein the DC input of each integrated DC-to-AC inverter is defined on a first side of the corresponding integrated DC-to-AC inverter that faces toward the corresponding single string of photovoltaic cells and the AC output of each integrated DC-to-AC inverter is defined on a second side of the corresponding integrated DC-to-AC inverter opposite the first side.
14. The solar photovoltaic module of claim 11 , wherein each of the integrated DC-to-AC inverters comprises an integrated power converter, wherein each integrated power converter comprises a plurality of electrical components established on a single integrated circuit.
15. The solar photovoltaic module of claim 11 , wherein each of the integrated DC-to-AC inverters comprises an integrated power converter, wherein each integrated power converter comprises a plurality of active electrical components established on a single integrated circuit and a plurality of passive components located apart from the single integrated circuit.
16. The solar photovoltaic module of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of active electrical components comprise at least one power transistor and the plurality of passive components comprise at least one capacitor.
17. The solar photovoltaic module of claim 11 , further comprising an encapsulation layer having a plurality of pockets defined in an inner side, wherein each of the integrated DC-to-AC inverters is positioned in a corresponding pocket of the encapsulation layer.