METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA FOR CONTROLLING ORIENTATION OF A PHOTOVOLTAIC COLLECTION SYSTEM TO TRACK APPARENT MOVEMENT OF THE SUN

• Main Authors: CRAIN JOHN A, EVANS, II CHARLES R, TAYLOR, II RUSSELL M
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 21.05.2009
• Subjects: ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; BLASTING; CONTROLLING; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERATION; GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRA-REDRADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, E.G. USINGPHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES; HEATING; LIGHTING; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION ORRERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; MEASURING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PHYSICS; RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; RANGES; REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGYGENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION; REGULATING; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS; SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; TESTING; VENTILATING; WEAPONS

The subject matter described herein includes methods, systems, and computer readable media for controlling orientation of a photovoltaic collection system to track apparent movement of the sun. According to one aspect, a method for controlling orientation of a photovoltaic collection system to track apparent movement of the sun using a photovoltaic-collection-system-derived tracking algorithm is provided. The method includes determining an initial orientation of a photovoltaic collection system. The method further includes automatically deriving, using output from the photovoltaic collection system as it tracks apparent movement of the sun across the sky caused by spinning of the earth on its axis and its orbit around the sun, a tracking algorithm for controlling orientation of the photovoltaic collection system to track the apparent movement of the sun. The method further includes controlling orientation of the photovoltaic collection system to track apparent movement of the sun using the photovoltaic-collection-system-derived tracking algorithm.