An electrical bus system has a trunk bus that includes at least one positive bus line, an equal number of negative bus line, and a ground cable. The trunk bus lines extend through clamping blocks where some of the clamping blocks are coupled to brackets that are themselves coupled to vertical supports. The ground cable is coupled to vertical support using the bracket. Multi-tap shear bolt connectors are used to connect the trunk bus line to photovoltaic wires carrying the output from one or more solar panel arrays, thereby eliminating the need for combiner boxes used in conventional systems.

A method includes determining control setpoints for equipment based on a time-varying availability of green energy and revenue from an incentive program of an energy provider. The method also includes controlling the equipment using the control setpoints.

An energy storage system converts variable renewable electricity (VRE) to continuous heat at over 1000 C. Intermittent electrical energy heats a solid medium. Heat from the solid medium is delivered continuously on demand. An array of bricks incorporating internal radiation cavities is directly heated by thermal radiation. The cavities facilitate rapid, uniform heating via reradiation. Heat delivery via flowing gas establishes a thermocline which maintains high outlet temperature throughout discharge. Gas flows through structured pathways within the array, delivering heat which may be used for processes including calcination, hydrogen electrolysis, steam generation, and thermal power generation and cogeneration. Groups of thermal storage arrays may be controlled and operated at high temperatures without thermal runaway via deep-discharge sequencing. Forecast-based control enables continuous, year-round heat supply using current and advance information of weather and VRE availability. High-voltage DC power conversion and distribution circuitry improves the efficiency of VRE power transfer into the system.

A photovoltaic inverter and a control method thereof, and a photovoltaic system. The photovoltaic inverter system includes a voltage conversion circuit, an inverter circuit, and a controller. The controller is configured to increase, based on an output power of the inverter circuit in a current time period and an output power of the inverter circuit in a first time period, an output power of the inverter circuit when the voltage conversion circuit does not work in a maximum power state. An increase of the output power of the inverter circuit is an estimated power increment value of the inverter circuit so as to stably increase an output power of the inverter while ensuring stable operation of the inverter and safe use of a power component, and improve power supply efficiency of the photovoltaic system.

A computer-implemented method for identifying behind-the-meter battery energy storage systems (BESS) in a distribution system includes measuring net power over a number of days via a meters at different locations in the distribution system. Using a time series of the measurement, a behind-the-meter BESS is detected by detecting flat intervals where the measured net power is substantially constant for a minimum continuous period, indicating BESS charge/discharge activity. If a BESS is detected, the time series data is used to detect first, second and third states that respective define net consumption, net generation and flat intervals indicating BESS charge/discharge activity. One or more eligible days are then determined that include a state change from the third state to the first state and a state change from the third state to the second. Intervals of BESS charge/discharge activity in the eligible days are extracted to evaluate a size of the detected BESS.

Modern thermal power plants based on classical thermodynamic power cycles suffer from an upper bound efficiency restriction imposed by the Carnot principle. This disclosure teaches how to break away from the classical thermodynamics paradigm in configuring a thermal power plant so that its efficiency will not be restricted by the Carnot principle. The power generation system described herein makes a path for the next generation of low-to-moderate temperature thermal power plants to run at significantly higher efficiencies powered by renewable energy. This disclosure also reveals novel high-performance power schemes with integrated fuel cell technology, driven by a variety of fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia, syngas, methane and natural gas, leading toward low-to-zero emission power generation for the future.

A microgrid (MG) controller can control a plurality of distributed generators (DGs) of photovoltaic (PV) arrays. The MG controller can include a power sharing unit configured to share power proportionally in a single current controlled mode (CCM) between the plurality of DGs based on a power capacity for each DG. The power sharing unit can include a robust current droop controller (RCDC) configured to provide proportional active current shared between the plurality of DGs. The power sharing unit can also include a quasi-proportional resonant (QPR) regulator coupled to the RCDC within a unified architecture. The QPR regulator can be configured to regulate a reference current signal.

A meter socket adapter (MSA) for connecting a battery energy storage system (BESS) to a household microgrid through a meter combo load center. The MSA includes: a housing matching an electricity meter and a meter socket in the meter combo load center; a plurality of power conductors that connect among the electricity meter, the meter socket, and BESS; a meter interconnection device (MID) switch for connecting a utility grid or one or more distribution energy resource (DER) devices to supply power to household loads in the household microgrid; a MID driving circuit for driving the MID switch to close or open; and a MID connection detection circuit to verify an electrical connection of a closed MID switch.

A method operates a power grid, which has a DC voltage circuit and an AC voltage circuit, which are electrically connected by a converter. The AC voltage circuit has a supply connection for connecting to a supply network, and an energy store and a generator are connected to the DC voltage circuit. A predicted power of an electrical power provided by the generator is ascertained for a time window, and an energy value that corresponds to the proportion of the predicted power above a power value of the converter is ascertained. A desired state of charge of the energy store that corresponds to a maximum energy that is able to be stored by the energy store minus the energy value is ascertained. The energy store is charged up to a maximum of the desired state of charge if an actual power of the generator is less than the power value.

A shutdown apparatus for a photovoltaic module, and a photovoltaic system. The shutdown apparatus includes: a first part and a second part; the first part or the second part includes a shutdown circuit; and the first part and the second part are connected via a cable; the first part includes a negative input terminal and a negative output terminal, and the second part includes a positive input terminal and a positive output terminal; the negative input terminal and the positive input terminal are respectively used for connecting to a negative electrode and a positive electrode of a corresponding photovoltaic module; and the positive output terminal and the negative output terminal are respectively used for being connected in series to different shutdown apparatuses.