US 12,191,799 B2
Photovoltaic module stowing during diffuse light conditions
Kyumin Lee, Albuquerque, NM (US); Kendra Passow, Albuquerque, NM (US); Daniel Fusaro, Albuquerque, NM (US); John Moseley, Albuquerque, NM (US); and Sanket Shah, Pflugerville, TX (US)
Assigned to ARRAY TECH, INC., Albuquerque, NM (US)
Filed by Array Technologies, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (US)
Filed on May 31, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/326,902.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/365,598, filed on May 31, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0186942 A1, Jun. 6, 2024
Int. Cl. H02S 20/32 (2014.01); G01S 3/786 (2006.01); F24S 20/00 (2018.01); F24S 40/00 (2018.01); F24S 50/00 (2018.01); F24S 50/20 (2018.01); G05D 3/00 (2006.01); G05D 3/10 (2006.01)
CPC H02S 20/32 (2014.12) [G01S 3/7861 (2013.01); F24S 2020/16 (2018.05); F24S 40/00 (2018.05); F24S 50/00 (2018.05); F24S 50/20 (2018.05); G05D 3/00 (2013.01); G05D 3/105 (2013.01); Y02E 10/47 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for stowing photovoltaic (PV) modules during diffuse light conditions, the method comprising:
determining, based on data collected by a sensor, a global horizontal irradiance (GHI) for a location of a solar tracking system at a specified time;
determining, by a computer and based on the GHI, a first plane-of-array (POA) irradiance for a PV module in the solar tracking system at a normal tracking position at the specified time, wherein the first POA irradiance is estimated by decomposing the GHI into direct and diffuse components and transposing the direct and diffuse components for a first plane parallel to the PV module at the normal tracking position; and
determining, by the computer and based on the GHI, a second POA irradiance for the PV module in the solar tracking system at a diffuse-stow position at the specified time, wherein the second POA irradiance is estimated by transposing the direct and diffuse components for a second plane parallel to the PV module at the diffuse-stow position;
comparing, by the computer, the first POA irradiance with the second POA irradiance to identify an irradiance gain at the diffuse-stow position; and
placing the PV module into the diffuse-stow position based upon a determination that the irradiance gain exceeds a gain threshold.