SYSTEM FOR MEASURING THE VOLTAGE-CURRENT CURVE OF PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES
Description
The measurement of the voltage-current curve (I-V) provides highly relevant information for the design, diagnosis, installation, monitoring and maintenance of photovoltaic systems. Some existing systems use software synchronized precision multimeters to register I-V pairs via the GPIB bus. However, with this type of synchronization, a perfectly simultaneous firing of both equipment is not achieved. Thus, the present invention consists of a new system for measuring the voltage-current curve for photovoltaic modules that comprises a power supply connected to the photovoltaic device; a current meter connected in series, between the power supply and the photovoltaic device; a voltage meter connected in parallel to the photovoltaic device; a square wave generator connected to the current meter and the voltage meter; and a controller in communication with all the aforementioned equipment. This system allows a large number of measurements to be carried out in a short time to prevent the change in meteorological conditions from affecting the measurement.
Advantages
Among the advantages of the present invention are: • Avoid voltage losses due to the resistance of the cables. • It is a very useful diagnostic tool when it comes to detecting possible deficiencies in the modules or problems in an installation, such as the effects of partial shading of modules connected in series. • The power supply and the voltage and current meters operate autonomously. • The synchronization mechanism ensures the simultaneous reading of the voltage and current values, achieving a more precise synchronization. • Different measurement campaigns can be programmed so that I-V curves are measured automatically. • Allows graphical display of measurement curves. • Possibility of exporting the information to data files for their possible treatment.
Uses and Applications
The present technology is useful for measuring and estimating the behavior of photovoltaic modules, and more particularly, for measuring the voltage-current curve (I-V) of photovoltaic modules.
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Patent Number
ES2353545
Applicants
Universidad De Málaga
Inventors
Michel Piliougine Rocha, Mariano Sidrach De Cardona Ortin
Filing Date
03/09/2010
Protection Level: National (Spain)
Processing Status: Spanish patent