Patent ID: 8729445

Claim:
A load-matched photo-voltaic system for delivery of electricity to one or more electrical power-consuming devices, the system comprising: a plurality of photo-voltaic cells, each having connection means to one or more other cells to form at least one photo-voltaic power unit having a maximum power point voltage, each photo-voltaic power unit being adapted to be connected to and powering an associated electrical power-consuming device and at least some of the connection means being remotely operable; at least one temperature sensor suitable for determining the temperature of at least one of the photo-voltaic cells; at least one irradiance sensor suitable for determining the solar radiation incident on the photo-voltaic cells; a voltmeter for each photo-voltaic power unit suitable for determining its output voltage; a controller, with data connections suitable for receiving signals from the temperature sensor(s), the incident solar radiation sensor(s) and voltmeter(s); the controller having power connections to the remotely operable connection means for operating the remotely operable connection means; the controller further comprising a computer for estimating the maximum power output voltage of a selected photo-voltaic power unit and for comparing the estimated maximum power output voltage of the selected photo-voltaic power unit with the measured output voltage of the selected photo-voltaic power unit using the sensor inputs; the controller further being suitable for identifying a grouping of interconnected photo-voltaic cells into a photo-voltaic power unit, the photo-voltaic power unit being suitable for delivery of at least 90 percent of the available photo-voltaic system electrical power to its associated power-consuming device based on current data; and the controller being capable of effecting such grouping by operation of selected remotely operable connection means.