Patents by Inventor Stephen James Voss

Stephen James Voss has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Methods and systems for schedule-based and alert-based cleaning of PV systems
    Patent number: 10607162
    Abstract: A method for scheduling cleaning of a photovoltaic (“PV”) system is implemented by a soiling monitoring computer system. The method includes determining a soiling level and a soiling rate for a photovoltaic (PV) system, calculating a cost associated with cleaning the PV system at each of a plurality of possible cleaning times, determining an expected energy output gain associated with cleaning the PV system at each of the plurality of possible times based on the soiling level and the soiling rate, calculating an expected benefit associated with cleaning the PV system at each of the plurality of possible cleaning times based on the expected energy output gain associated with each possible cleaning time, determining a first time of the plurality of possible times when the expected benefit exceeds the cost, and scheduling a cleaning time based on at least the determined first time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: FTC Solar, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Philip, Andras Boross, Stephen James Voss, Christopher Andrew Clarke, Anastasios Golnas, Nagendra Cherukupalli
  • METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR SCHEDULE-BASED AND ALERT-BASED CLEANING OF PV SYSTEMS
    Publication number: 20160104084
    Abstract: A method for scheduling cleaning of a photovoltaic (“PV”) system is implemented by a soiling monitoring computer system. The method includes determining a soiling level and a soiling rate for a photovoltaic (PV) system, calculating a cost associated with cleaning the PV system at each of a plurality of possible cleaning times, determining an expected energy output gain associated with cleaning the PV system at each of the plurality of possible times based on the soiling level and the soiling rate, calculating an expected benefit associated with cleaning the PV system at each of the plurality of possible cleaning times based on the expected energy output gain associated with each possible cleaning time, determining a first time of the plurality of possible times when the expected benefit exceeds the cost, and scheduling a cleaning time based on at least the determined first time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Publication date: April 14, 2016
    Inventors: Joseph Philip, Andras Boross, Stephen James Voss, Christopher Andrew Clarke, Anastasios Golnas, Nagendra Cherukupalli
  • METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CALIBRATING IRRADIANCE SENSORS
    Publication number: 20150355017
    Abstract: A method for calibrating irradiance sensors is performed by an irradiance analysis computing device in communication with a memory. The method includes receiving an irradiance estimate representing an expected amount of irradiance, receiving a first irradiance value associated with at least one irradiance sensor, processing the irradiance estimate and the first irradiance value to generate at least one irradiance metric, and determining a condition of said irradiance sensor based at least in part on the at least one irradiance metric.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2014
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Inventors: Christopher Andrew Clarke, Stephen James Voss, Alemu Tadesse, Anastasios Golnas, Joseph Philip, Joseph Michael Bryan