US Patent 8390147 Methods and apparatuses for photovoltaic power management

Methods and apparatuses for equalizing voltages across a plurality of photovoltaic units connected in series are provided. The apparatus may include a plurality of energy storage devices. In a first configuration, each of the energy storage devices is configured to be connected in parallel with one of a first set of the photovoltaic units. In a second configuration, each of the energy storage devices is configured to be connected in parallel with one of a second set of the photovoltaic units. The apparatus may also include a plurality of switches configured to switch between the first configuration and the second configuration, to equalize the voltages across the photovoltaic units.