Arc fault mitigation for photovoltaic systems

• Main Authors: SCOTT GARY W, LARSON BRETT E
• Format: Patent
• Language: Chinese; English
• Published: 11.09.2013
• Subjects: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC,OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWERSUPPLY SYSTEMS; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUTPOWER; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERATION; REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGYGENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE

Systems, methods, and devices are presented for mitigating arc fault events in a photovoltaic system. An aspect of this disclosure is directed to a photovoltaic system for generating electrical power. The photovoltaic system includes one or more solar panels, and one or more shuttering assemblies, each of which is configured to selectively limit the quantity of light received by one or more of the solar panels. One or more sensing devices detect characteristics of an arc fault event in the photovoltaic system, and output signals indicative thereof. A control module is operatively connected to the shuttering assemblies and the sensing devices. The control module is configured to direct the one or more shuttering assemblies to reduce the quantity of light received by at least one of the one or more solar panels in response to the output signals indicating there is an arc fault event in the photovoltaic system.