Shade-tolerant maximum power point optimizer for solar arrays
This technology improves how solar panels recover power when partially shaded — one of the most common causes of energy loss in real-world installations. Instead of letting shading on one cell drag down an entire string, the system divides solar panels into sub-panels and uses a shared tracking controller to force each sub-panel to operate at the same voltage. Individual power converters then fine-tune each sub-panel's output, recovering roughly half the power that would otherwise be lost to shading. The approach does this with relatively simple, low-cost hardware rather than requiring a separate optimizer on every panel.
What you could build
A low-cost sub-panel power optimizer module or integrated inverter feature targeting commercial rooftop and utility-scale solar installations; buyers would be solar inverter OEMs (e.g., SolarEdge, Enphase competitors) and EPC contractors seeking a cheaper alternative to per-panel optimizers.
Who in Virginia should care
Solar EPC firms and data center campus solar developers active in Virginia, as well as Dominion Energy's growing distributed solar procurement programs.
Readiness: Prototype likely
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Xinke Wu, Zijian Wang, Fred C. Lee, Feng Wang
- Granted
- June 20, 2017
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 9685790
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.