Patent ID: 8659922

Claim:
An apparatus for communicating using power line communications comprising: an inverter, comprising: an input terminal for receiving DC input from a photovoltaic module; an output terminal for coupling an AC output, converted from the DC input, to a power line; a power conversion module for converting the DC input to the AC output; a monitoring system for monitoring the DC input and the AC output and forming data representative of at least one of the DC input or AC output; a control system for controlling the power conversion module; and a communications system electrically connected to the power monitoring system and the control system; and wherein: (i.) the monitoring system detects an analog communication signal on the power line and converts the analog communication signal to a digital communication signal for processing by the communications system; (ii.) the communications system encodes the data for external communication and sends the encoded data to the control system; and (iii.) the control system, based on the encoded data, drives the power conversion module to modulate a carrier signal to communicate the encoded data via the power line.