Storage system configured for use with an energy management system

Abstract

A modular bracket is provided herein and comprises a back wall comprising an alignment feature configured to connect to a corresponding alignment feature on a back wall of a second modular bracket for aligning the modular bracket and the second modular bracket when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in a stacked configuration and a slot configured to overlap a corresponding slot on the back wall of the second modular bracket for securing the modular bracket and the second modular bracket to a surface when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration. A pair of opposing side walls each comprises a first locking feature and a second locking feature, wherein the first locking feature on the modular bracket is configured to engage the second locking feature on the second modular bracket and vice versa when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration.

Description

STORAGE SYSTEM CONFIGURED FOR USE WITH AN ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMBACKGROUNDField of the Disclosure

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to power systems and, for example, to a modular bracket for a scalable battery energy storage system.Description of the Related Art

[0002] Storage systems configured for use with energy management systems are known. Market requirements, however, may vary based on geography. For example, Europe, typically, prefers three phase products, while the US and UK / ltaly, prefer 10 kWh and 5 kWh (max), respectively. Additionally, most battery racks, which are configured to house one or more battery modules, have a fixed rack capacity. For example, battery racks (e.g., 10 kWh capacity) can be configured to house / support four (4) battery modules. Sometimes a user (homeowner (HO)) may require less than the four (4) battery modules. In such instances, a company can provide less than the four (4) battery modules (e.g., 2) to the HO, but that would sacrifice energy density and / or cost burden small installations.

[0003] Therefore, the inventors have provided herein an improved modular bracket for a scalable battery energy storage system.SUMMARY

[0004] In accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure, a modular bracket configured for use with a storage system comprises a back wall comprising an alignment feature configured to connect to a corresponding alignment feature on a back wall of a second modular bracket for aligning the modular bracket and the second modular bracket when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in a stacked configuration. A slot can be configured to overlap a corresponding slot on the back wall of the second modular bracket for securing the modular bracket and the second modular bracket to a surface when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration. A pair of opposing side walls each comprises a first locking feature and a second locking feature, wherein the first locking feature on the modular bracket is configured to engage the secondlocking feature on the second modular bracket and vice versa when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration.

[0005] In accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure, a storage system connected to a power source comprises a modular bracket comprising a back wall comprising an alignment feature configured to connect to a corresponding alignment feature on a back wall of a second modular bracket for aligning the modular bracket and the second modular bracket when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in a stacked configuration. A slot can be configured to overlap a corresponding slot on the back wall of the second modular bracket for securing the modular bracket and the second modular bracket to a surface when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration. A pair of opposing side walls each comprises a first locking feature and a second locking feature, wherein the first locking feature on the modular bracket is configured to engage the second locking feature on the second modular bracket and vice versa when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration.

[0006] In accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure, an energy management system comprises a power source and a storage system connected to the power source. The storage system comprises a modular bracket comprising a back wall comprising an alignment feature configured to connect to a corresponding alignment feature on a back wall of a second modular bracket for aligning the modular bracket and the second modular bracket when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in a stacked configuration. A slot can be configured to overlap a corresponding slot on the back wall of the second modular bracket for securing the modular bracket and the second modular bracket to a surface when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration. A pair of opposing side walls each comprises a first locking feature and a second locking feature, wherein the first locking feature on the modular bracket is configured to engage the second locking feature on the second modular bracket and vice versa when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only a typical embodiment of this disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

[0008] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a system for power conversion, in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0009] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an AC battery system, in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0010] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a modular bracket configured for use with the AC battery system of Figure 2, in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0011] Figure 4 is a perspective view of stacked modular brackets, in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0012] Figure 5 is an exploded view, with parts separated, of stacked modular brackets, in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0013] Figure 6 is a perspective view of stacked modular brackets, in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] As noted above, an improved modular bracket for a scalable battery energy storage system is provided herein. For example, a modular bracket can be configured for use with a storage system and can comprise a back wall comprising an alignment feature configured to connect to a corresponding alignment feature on a back wall of a second modular bracket for aligning the modular bracket and the second modular bracket when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in a stacked configuration. A slot can be configured to overlap a corresponding slot on the back wall of the second modular bracket for securing the modular bracketand the second modular bracket to a surface when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration. A pair of opposing side walls each comprises a first locking feature and a second locking feature, wherein the first locking feature on the modular bracket is configured to engage the second locking feature on the second modular bracket and vice versa when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration. The modular bracket described herein are configured to scale with one or more batteries (e.g., battery modules), can comprise a connectorized wiring harness that can be daisy chained together up or down to a wiring box, can comprise one or more alignment features that ensure proper fit-up during installation of a battery, and comprise overlapping slots that reduce a number of mounting bolts that are, typically, used for mounting a bracket to a wall.

[0015] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a system 100 (energy management system) for power conversion using one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. This diagram only portrays one variation of the myriad of possible system configurations and devices that may utilize the present disclosure.

[0016] The system 100 is a microgrid that can operate in both an islanded state and in a grid-connected state (i.e., when connected to another power grid (such as one or more other microgrids and / or a commercial power grid). The system 100 comprises a plurality of power converters 102-1 , 102-2, .. ,.102-N, 102-N+1 , and 102-N+M collectively referred to as power converters 102 (which also may be called power conditioners); a plurality of DC power sources 104-1 , 104-2, ... ,104-N, collectively referred to as power sources 104 (e.g., resources); a plurality of energy storage devices / delivery devices 120-1 , 120-2, ... ,120-M collectively referred to as energy storage / delivery devices 120; a system controller 106; a plurality of BMUs 190-1 , 190-2, ... ,190-M (battery management units) collectively referred to as BMUs 190; a system controller 106; a bus 108; a load center 110; and an IID 140 (island interconnect device) (which may also be referred to as a microgrid interconnect device (MID)). In some embodiments, such as the embodiments described herein, the energy storage / delivery devices are rechargeable batteries (e.g., multi-C-rate collection of AC batteries) which may be referred to as batteries 120, although in other embodiments the energy storage / delivery devices may be any other suitabledevice for storing energy and providing the stored energy. Generally, each of the batteries 120 comprises a plurality cells that are coupled in series, e.g., eight cells coupled in series to form a battery 120.

[0017] Each power converter 102-1, 102-2....102-N is coupled to a DC power source 104-1 , 104-2....104-N, respectively, in a one-to-one correspondence, although in some other embodiments multiple DC power sources may be coupled to one or more of the power converters 102. The power converters 102-N+1 , 102- N+2... 102-N+M are respectively coupled to plurality of energy storage devices / delivery devices 120-1 , 120-2... 120-M via BMUs 190-1 , 190-2...190-M to form AC batteries 180-1 , 180-2...180-M, respectively. Each of the power converters 102-1 , 102-2...102-N+M comprises a corresponding controller 114-1 , 114-2...114- N+M (collectively referred to as the inverter controllers 114) for controlling operation of the power converters 102-1 , 102-2...102-N+M.

[0018] In some embodiments, such as the embodiment described below, the DC power sources 104 are DC power sources and the power converters 102 are bidirectional inverters such that the power converters 102-1. ,.102-N convert DC power from the DC power sources 104 to grid-compliant AC power that is coupled to the bus 108, and the power converters 102-N+1...102-N+M convert (during energy storage device discharge) DC power from the batteries 120 to grid-compliant AC power that is coupled to the bus 108 and also convert (during energy storage device charging) AC power from the bus 108 to DC output that is stored in the batteries 120 for subsequent use. The DC power sources 104 may be any suitable DC source, such as an output from a previous power conversion stage, a battery, a renewable energy source (e.g., a solar panel or photovoltaic (PV) module, a wind turbine, a hydroelectric system, or similar renewable energy source), or the like, for providing DC power. In other embodiments the power converters 102 may be other types of converters (such as DC-DC converters), and the bus 108 is a DC power bus.

[0019] The power converters 102 are coupled to the system controller 106 via the bus 108 (which also may be referred to as an AC line or a grid). The system controller 106 generally comprises a CPU coupled to each of support circuits and a memory that comprises a system control module for controlling some operational aspects of the system 100 and / or monitoring the system 100 (e.g., issuing certaincommand and control instructions to one or more of the power converters 102, collecting data related to the performance of the power converters 102, and the like). The system controller 106 is capable of communicating with the power converters 102 by wireless and / or wired communication (e.g., power line communication) for providing certain operative control and / or monitoring of the power converters 102.

[0020] In some embodiments, the system controller 106 may be a gateway that receives data (e.g., performance data) from the power converters 102 and communicates (e.g., via the Internet) the data and / or other information to a remote device or system, such as a master controller (not shown). Additionally or alternatively, the gateway may receive information from a remote device or system (not shown) and may communicate the information to the power converters 102 and / or use the information to generate control commands that are issued to the power converters 102.

[0021] The power converters 102 are coupled to the load center 110 via the bus 108, and the load center 110 is coupled to the power grid via the IID 140. When coupled to the power grid (e.g., a commercial grid or a larger microgrid) via the IID 140, the system 100 may be referred to as grid-connected; when disconnected from the power grid via the IID 140, the system 100 may be referred to as islanded. The IID 140 determines when to disconnect from / connect to the power grid (e.g., the IID 140 may detect a grid fluctuation, disturbance, outage or the like) and performs the disconnection / connection. Once disconnected from the power grid, the system 100 can continue to generate power as an intentional island, without imposing safety risks on any line workers that may be working on the grid, using the droop control techniques described herein. The IID 140 comprises a disconnect component (e.g., a disconnect relay) for physically disconnecting / connecting the system 100 from / to the power grid. In some embodiments, the IID 140 may additionally comprise an autoformer for coupling the system 100 to a split-phase load that may have a misbalance in it with some neutral current. In certain embodiments, the system controller 106 comprises the IID 140 or a portion of the IID 140.

[0022] The power converters 102 convert the DC power from the DC power sources 104 and discharge the battery 120 to grid-compliant AC power and couple the generated output power to the load center 110 via the bus 108. The power isthen distributed to one or more loads (for example to one or more appliances) and / or to the power grid (when connected to the power grid). Additionally or alternatively, the generated energy may be stored for later use, for example using batteries, heated water, hydro pumping, FW-to-hydrogen conversion, or the like. Generally, the system 100 is coupled to the commercial power grid, although in some embodiments the system 100 is completely separate from the commercial grid and operates as an independent microgrid.

[0023] In some embodiments, the AC power generated by the power converters 102 is single-phase AC power. In other embodiments, the power converters 102 generate three-phase AC power.

[0024] A storage system configured for use with an energy management system, such as the Enphase® Energy System, is described herein. For example, Figure 2 is a block diagram of an AC battery system 200 (e.g., a storage system) in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] The AC battery system 200 comprises a BMU 190 coupled to a battery (e.g., the battery 120) and one or more inverters (e.g., the power converters 102). In at least some embodiments, the battery 120 can comprise a plurality of cells (not shown) and the power converters 102 can comprise four embedded converters (e.g., four embedded microinverters). In at least some embodiments, the battery 120 can be the IQ Battery 3 (or the IQ Battery 10) and the microinverters can be the IQ8X-BAT microinverters, both available from Enphase®. A pair of metal-oxide- sem iconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) switches - switches 228 and 230 - are coupled in series between a first terminal 240 of the battery 120 and a first terminal of the inverter 144 such the body diode cathode terminal of the switch 228 is coupled to the first terminal 240 of the battery 120 and the body diode cathode terminal of the switch 230 is coupled to the first terminal 244 of the power converter 102. The gate terminals of the switches 228 and 230 are coupled to the BMU 190.

[0026] A second terminal 242 of the battery 120 is coupled to a second terminal 246 of the power converter 102 via a current measurement module 226 which measures the current flowing between the battery 120 and the power converter 102.

[0027] The BMU 190 is coupled to the current measurement module 226 for receiving information on the measured current and also receives an input 224 fromthe battery 120 indicating the battery cell voltage and temperature. The BMU 190 is coupled to the gate terminals of each of the switches 228 and 230 for driving the switch 228 to control battery discharge and driving the switch 230 to control battery charge as described herein. The BMU 190 is also coupled across the first terminal 244 and the second terminal 246 for providing an inverter bias control voltage (which may also be referred to as a bias control voltage) to the inverter 102 as described further below.

[0028] The configuration of the body diodes of the switches 228 and 230 allows current to be blocked in one direction but not the other depending on state of each of the switches 228 and 230. When the switch 228 is active (i.e., on) while the switch 230 is inactive (i.e., off), battery discharge is enabled to allow current to flow from the battery 120 to the power converter 102 through the body diode of the switch 230. When the switch 228 is inactive while the switch 230 is active, battery charge is enabled to allow current flow from the power converter 102 to the battery 120 through the body diode of the switch 228. When both switches 228 and 230 are active, the system is in a normal mode where the battery 120 can be charged or discharged.

[0029] The BMU 190 comprises support circuits 204 and a memory 206 (e.g., non-transitory computer readable storage medium), each coupled to a CPU 202 (central processing unit). The CPU 202 may comprise one or more processors, microprocessors, microcontrollers and combinations thereof configured to execute non-transient software instructions to perform various tasks in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The CPU 202 may additionally or alternatively include one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). In some embodiments, the CPU 202 may be a microcontroller comprising internal memory for storing controller firmware that, when executed, provides the controller functionality described herein. The BMU 190 may be implemented using a general purpose computer that, when executing particular software, becomes a specific purpose computer for performing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0030] The support circuits 204 are well known circuits used to promote functionality of the CPU 202. Such circuits include, but are not limited to, a cache, power supplies, clock circuits, buses, input / output (I / O) circuits, and the like. TheBMU 190 may be implemented using a general purpose computer that, when executing particular software, becomes a specific purpose computer for performing various embodiments of the present disclosure. In one or more embodiments, the CPU 202 may be a microcontroller comprising internal memory for storing controller firmware that, when executed, provides the controller functionality described herein.

[0031] The memory 206 may comprise random access memory, read only memory, removable disk memory, flash memory, and various combinations of these types of memory. The memory 206 is sometimes referred to as main memory and may, in part, be used as cache memory or buffer memory. The memory 206 generally stores the OS 208 (operating system), if necessary, of the inverter controller 114 that can be supported by the CPU capabilities. In some embodiments, the OS 208 may be one of a number of commercially available operating systems such as, but not limited to, LINUX, Real-Time Operating System (RTOS), and the like.

[0032] The memory 206 stores non-transient processor-executable instructions and / or data that may be executed by and / or used by the CPU 202 to perform, for example, one or more methods for discharge protection, as described in greater detail below. These processor-executable instructions may comprise firmware, software, and the like, or some combination thereof. The memory 206 stores various forms of application software, such as an acquisition system module 210, a switch control module 212, a control system module 214, and an inverter bias control module 216. The memory 206 additionally stores a database 218 for storing data related to the operation of the BMU 190 and / or the present disclosure, such as one or more thresholds, equations, formulas, curves, and / or algorithms for the control techniques described herein. In various embodiments, one or more of the acquisition system module 210, the switch control module 212, the control system module 214, the inverter bias control module 216, and the database 218, or portions thereof, are implemented in software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof.

[0033] The acquisition system module 210 obtains the cell voltage and temperature information from the battery 120 via the input 224, obtains the current measurements provided by the current measurement module 226, and provides thecell voltage, cell temperature, and measured current information to the control system module 214 for use as described herein.

[0034] The switch control module 212 drives the switches 228 and 230 as determined by the control system module 214. The control system module 214 provides various battery management functions, including protection functions (e.g., overcurrent (OC) protection, overtemperature (OT) protection, and hardware fault protection), metrology functions (e.g., averaging measured battery cell voltage and battery current over, for example, 100 ms to reject 50 and 60 Hz ripple), state of charge (SoC) analysis (e.g., coulomb gauge 250 for determining current flow and utilizing the current flow in estimating the battery SoC; synchronizing estimated SOC values to battery voltages (such as setting SoC to an upper bound, such as 100%, at maximum battery voltage; setting SoC to a lower bound, such as 0%, at a minimum battery voltage); turning off SoC if the power converter 102 never drives the battery 120 to these limits; and the like), balancing (e.g., autonomously balancing the charge across all cells of a battery to be equal, which may be done at the end of charge, at the end of discharge, or in some embodiments both at the end of charge and the end of discharge). By establishing upper and lower estimated SoC bounds based on battery end of charge and end of discharge, respectively, and tracking the current flow and cell voltage (i.e., battery voltage) between these events, the BMU 190 determines the estimated SoC.

[0035] Continuing with reference to Figure 2, the inverter controller 114 comprises support circuits 254 and a memory 256, each coupled to a CPU 252 (central processing unit). The CPU 252 may comprise one or more processors, microprocessors, microcontrollers and combinations thereof configured to execute non-transient software instructions to perform various tasks in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The CPU 252 may additionally or alternatively include one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). In some embodiments, the CPU 252 may be a microcontroller comprising internal memory for storing controller firmware that, when executed, provides the controller functionality herein. The inverter controller 114 may be implemented using a general purpose computer that, when executing particular software, becomes aspecific purpose computer for performing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0036] The support circuits 254 are well known circuits used to promote functionality of the CPU 252. Such circuits include, but are not limited to, a cache, power supplies, clock circuits, buses, input / output (I / O) circuits, and the like. The inverter controller 114 may be implemented using a general purpose computer that, when executing particular software, becomes a specific purpose computer for performing various embodiments of the present disclosure. In one or more embodiments, the CPU 252 may be a microcontroller comprising internal memory for storing controller firmware that, when executed, provides the controller functionality described herein.

[0037] The memory 256 may comprise random access memory, read only memory, removable disk memory, flash memory, and various combinations of these types of memory. The memory 256 is sometimes referred to as main memory and may, in part, be used as cache memory or buffer memory. The memory 256 generally stores the OS 258 (operating system), if necessary, of the inverter controller 114 that can be supported by the CPU capabilities. In some embodiments, the OS 258 may be one of a number of commercially available operating systems such as, but not limited to, LINUX, Real-Time Operating System (RTOS), and the like.

[0038] The memory 256 stores non-transient processor-executable instructions and / or data that may be executed by and / or used by the CPU 252. These processor-executable instructions may comprise firmware, software, and the like, or some combination thereof. The memory 256 stores various forms of application software, such as a power conversion control module 270 for controlling the bidirectional power conversion, and a battery management control module 272.

[0039] The BMU 190 communicates with the system controller 106 to perform balancing of the batteries 120 (e.g., multi-C-rate collection of AC batteries) based on a time remaining before each of the batteries are depleted of charge, to perform droop control (semi-passive) which allows the batteries to run out of charge at substantially the same time, and perform control of the batteries to charge batterieshaving less time remaining before depletion using batteries having more time remaining before depletion, as described in greater detail below.

[0040] As noted above, the inventors have provided herein an improved modular bracket for a scalable battery energy storage system. For example, Figure 3 is a perspective view of a modular bracket 300 configured for use with the AC battery system of Figure 2, Figure 4 is a perspective view of stacked modular brackets 400, and Figure 5 is an exploded view, with parts separated, of stacked modular brackets, in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0041] For example, a modular bracket 300 can be configured for use with a storage system (e.g., the AC battery system 200 of the system 100). The modular bracket 300 can be made from one or more suitable materials, e.g., plastic, metal, etc. The modular bracket 300 can comprise a back wall 302. The back wall 302 can comprise an alignment feature 304 configured to connect to a corresponding alignment feature on a back wall 302 of a second modular bracket (e.g., another modular bracket 300) for aligning the modular bracket 300 and the second modular bracket when the modular bracket 300 and the second modular bracket are in a stacked configuration (see Figure 4, for example). For example, the back wall 302 can comprise a bottom alignment feature (e.g., detents) that can be disposed adjacent to a bottom portion of the back wall 302, and the back wall 302 can comprise a top alignment feature (e.g., indents) that can be disposed adjacent to a top portion of the back wall 302. The detents at the bottom of the back wall 302 of the modular bracket 300 can be configured to engage the indents at the top of the back wall 302 of the second modular bracket when the modular bracket 300 and the second modular bracket are in a stacked configuration (see Figure 4, for example).

[0042] The back wall 302 can comprise a slot 306 that can be configured to overlap a corresponding slot on the back wall 302 of the second modular bracket for securing the modular bracket 300 and the second modular bracket to a surface when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration. For example, in at least some embodiments, the modular bracket 300 can be mounted on a surface of a wall (not shown). In such embodiments, the slot 306 (or overlapping slots) can be configured to receive one or more apparatus (e.g., bolts, screws, and the like) for mounting the modular bracket 300 (or multiplemodular brackets attached to each other) to a surface of a wall (e.g., sheetrock, metal, wood, concrete, etc.) or other mounting surface.

[0043] In at least some embodiments, the back wall 302 of the modular bracket 300 can comprise a wiring harness 308 (e.g., an AC / communication harness) that is configured to connect to a wiring harness 308 of the back wall 302 of the second modular bracket for daisy chaining the modular bracket 300 and the second modular bracket together (up or down) to a wiring box 502 of the storage system. For example, the last wiring harness in the daisy chain can be configured to connect to an AC terminal block 504 of the wiring box 502 (Figure 5), which includes a wiring lid 503.

[0044] In at least some embodiments, the back wall 302 of the modular bracket 300 can comprise a shelf 310 that is configured to support a corresponding shelf (not shown) on a battery enclosure 500 (which is configured to house one or more batteries (a cell pack 501)) when the battery enclosure 500 is installed on the modular bracket 300. For example, in at least some embodiments, the back wall 302 can comprise two shelves that extend along the back wall 302. In at least some embodiments, the two shelves can be disposed on opposite sides of the wiring harness 308 (as shown). Alternatively, a shelf 310 (e.g., a single shelf) can extend along the back wall 302. In such instances, the shelf 310 can be positioned between the back wall 302 and the wiring harness 308. A battery enclosure lid 505 can be coupled to the battery enclosure 500 and used to cover the battery enclosure 500, and a power conditioner unit 507 (PCU, e.g., one of the converters 102 ) can be coupled to the battery enclosure 500 and configured as described above.

[0045] A pair of opposing side walls 312 can each comprise a first locking feature 314 and a second locking feature 316. The first locking feature on the modular bracket is configured to releasably engage the second locking feature on the second modular bracket and vice versa when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration. In at least some embodiments, the first locking feature 314 is disposed on an inner portion 318 of the pair of opposing side walls 312 and the second locking feature 316 is disposed on an outer portion 320 of the pair of opposing side walls 312. In at least some embodiments, the first locking feature 314 can comprise an upwardly facing flange and the second locking feature316 can comprise a downwardly facing flange. The upwardly facing flange and the downwardly facing flange are configured to releasably interlock with each other for attaching the modular bracket 300 to the second modular bracket (see Figure 4 and Figure 5, for example).

[0046] In at least some embodiments, the pair of opposing side walls 312 can each comprise a connection device 322 configured to connect to a corresponding connection device 506 on the battery enclosure 500 for installing the battery enclosure 500 on the modular bracket 300. In at least some embodiments, the connection device 322 on each of the pair of opposing side walls 312 is an inwardly facing elongated channel and the corresponding connection device 506 on the battery enclosure 500 is an outwardly facing elongated flange that is configured to sit within inwardly facing elongated channel.

[0047] In operation, a user can install the cell pack into the battery enclosure 500. The battery enclosure 500 can be connected to the modular bracket 300, and the modular bracket 300 can be attached to (stacked on) a second modular bracket. If needed, additional modular brackets with battery enclosures can be stacked on top of each other with the wiring harnesses being daisy chained to each other (as described above) and the last wiring harnesses being connected to the AC terminal block 504 of the wiring box 502.

[0048] Figure 6 is a perspective view of stacked modular brackets, in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, unlike the modular bracket 300, a modular bracket 600 can comprise one or more keyhole slots 602 and that are configured to engage one or more detents / pegs 604 on a battery enclosure 606. For illustrative purposes, the keyhole slots 602 are shown in phantom. The keyhole slots 602 can be disposed on one or both of the pair of opposing side walls 312. For example, each of the pair of opposing side walls 312 can have inwardly facing ledges (not shown) that have the keyhole slots 602 defined therethrough for engaging the one or more detents / pegs 604 on a battery enclosure 606. In at least some embodiments, a bottom inwardly facing ledge can have a single keyhole slot and a top inwardly facing ledge can have a pair keyhole slots.

[0049] Additionally, unlike the modular bracket 300, the modular bracket 600 can comprise a wiring harness 608 that need not be integrated with the modular bracket600. For example, a microinverter connector 610 disposed at various locations along the wiring harness 608 (e.g., to line up with the power conditioner unit 507) can be configured to attach directly to the microinverters of the cell pack 501 housed within the battery enclosure 500. For illustrative purposes,

[0050] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A modular bracket configured for use with a storage system comprises: a back wall comprising: an alignment feature configured to connect to a corresponding alignment feature on a back wall of a second modular bracket for aligning the modular bracket and the second modular bracket when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in a stacked configuration; and a slot configured to overlap a corresponding slot on the back wall of the second modular bracket for securing the modular bracket and the second modular bracket to a surface when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration; and a pair of opposing side walls each comprising a first locking feature and a second locking feature, wherein the first locking feature on the modular bracket is configured to engage the second locking feature on the second modular bracket and vice versa when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration.

2. The modular bracket of claim 1 , wherein the back wall of the modular bracket further comprises a wiring harness that is configured to connect to a wiring harness of the back wall of the second modular bracket for daisy chaining the modular bracket and the second modular bracket together up or down to a wiring box of the storage system.

3. The modular bracket of claim 1 , wherein the back wall of the modular bracket further comprises a shelf that is configured to support a corresponding shelf on a battery enclosure when the battery enclosure is installed on the modular bracket.

4. The modular bracket of claim 1 , wherein the pair of opposing side walls each further comprises a connection device configured to connect to a correspondingconnection device on a battery enclosure for installing the battery enclosure on the modular bracket.

5. The modular bracket as in any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the connection device on each of the pair of opposing side walls is at least one of: an inwardly facing elongated channel and the corresponding connection device on the battery enclosure is an outwardly facing elongated flange that is configured to sit within inwardly facing elongated channel; or keyhole slots and detents / pegs that are configured to engage keyhole slots and detents / pegs on the battery enclosure.

6. The modular bracket of claim 1 , wherein the first locking feature is disposed on an inner portion of the pair of opposing side walls and the second locking feature is disposed on an outer portion of the pair of opposing side walls.

7. The modular bracket as in any of claims 1 to 4 or 6, wherein the alignment feature comprises a top alignment feature and a bottom alignment feature, wherein the bottom alignment feature of the modular bracket is configured to engage a top alignment feature on the second modular bracket and vice versa when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration.

8. A storage system connected to a power source and comprising: a modular bracket comprising: a back wall comprising: an alignment feature configured to connect to a corresponding alignment feature on a back wall of a second modular bracket for aligning the modular bracket and the second modular bracket when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in a stacked configuration; and a slot configured to overlap a corresponding slot on the back wall of the second modular bracket for securing the modular bracket and the second modular bracket to a surfacewhen the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration; and a pair of opposing side walls each comprising a first locking feature and a second locking feature, wherein the first locking feature on the modular bracket is configured to engage the second locking feature on the second modular bracket and vice versa when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration.

9. The storage system of claim 8, wherein the back wall of the modular bracket further comprises a wiring harness that is configured to connect to a wiring harness of the back wall of the second modular bracket for daisy chaining the modular bracket and the second modular bracket together up or down to a wiring box of the storage system.

10. The storage system of claim 8, wherein the back wall of the modular bracket further comprises a shelf that is configured to support a corresponding shelf on a battery enclosure when the battery enclosure is installed on the modular bracket.

11. The storage system of claim 8, wherein the pair of opposing side walls each further comprises a connection device configured to connect to a corresponding connection device on a battery enclosure for installing the battery enclosure on the modular bracket.

12. The storage system as in any of claims 8 to 11 , wherein the connection device on each of the pair of opposing side walls is at least one of: an inwardly facing elongated channel and the corresponding connection device on the battery enclosure is an outwardly facing elongated flange that is configured to sit within inwardly facing elongated channel; or keyhole slots and detents / pegs that are configured to engage keyhole slots and detents / pegs on the battery enclosure.

13. The storage system of claim 8, wherein the first locking feature is disposed on an inner portion of the pair of opposing side walls and the second locking feature is disposed on an outer portion of the pair of opposing side walls.

14. The storage system as in any of claims 8 to 11 or 13, wherein the alignment feature comprises a top alignment feature and a bottom alignment feature, wherein the bottom alignment feature of the modular bracket is configured to engage a top alignment feature on the second modular bracket and vice versa when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration.

15. An energy management system, comprising: a power source; and a storage system connected to the power source and comprising: a modular bracket comprising: a back wall comprising: an alignment feature configured to connect to a corresponding alignment feature on a back wall of a second modular bracket for aligning the modular bracket and the second modular bracket when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in a stacked configuration; and a slot configured to overlap a corresponding slot on the back wall of the second modular bracket for securing the modular bracket and the second modular bracket to a surface when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration; and a pair of opposing side walls each comprising a first locking feature and a second locking feature, wherein the first locking feature on the modular bracket is configured to engage the second locking feature on the second modular bracket and vice versa when the modular bracket and the second modular bracket are in the stacked configuration.

16. The energy management system of claim 15, wherein the back wall of the modular bracket further comprises a wiring harness that is configured to connect to a wiring harness of the back wall of the second modular bracket for daisy chaining the modular bracket and the second modular bracket together up or down to a wiring box of the storage system.

17. The energy management system of claim 15, wherein the back wall of the modular bracket further comprises a shelf that is configured to support a corresponding shelf on a battery enclosure when the battery enclosure is installed on the modular bracket.

18. The energy management system of claim 15, wherein the pair of opposing side walls each further comprises a connection device configured to connect to a corresponding connection device on a battery enclosure for installing the battery enclosure on the modular bracket.

19. The energy management system as in any of claims 15 to 18, wherein the connection device on each of the pair of opposing side walls is at least one of: an inwardly facing elongated channel and the corresponding connection device on the battery enclosure is an outwardly facing elongated flange that is configured to sit within inwardly facing elongated channel; or keyhole slots and detents / pegs that are configured to engage keyhole slots and detents / pegs on the battery enclosure.

20. The energy management system as in any of claims 15 to 18, wherein the first locking feature is disposed on an inner portion of the pair of opposing side walls and the second locking feature is disposed on an outer portion of the pair of opposing side walls.

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