Solar concentrator facet, solar concentrator comprising said facet and method of installation thereof

1 . A solar concentrator comprising:

a concentrator main body;

a pedestal;

a plurality of transverse arms supported by the concentrator main body, wherein the plurality of transverse arms are connected to a plurality of longitudinal bars; and

one or more facets configured to be used as reflective elements of the solar concentrator, the one or more facets comprising a facet main body defining a front surface and a back surface, wherein the back surface of the facet main body is attached to at least three substantially linear ribs arranged substantially parallel along said back surface;

wherein at least one of the at least three ribs is configured with adjustable anchoring fasteners adapted for connection to the plurality of longitudinal bars such that a distance between the at least one of the at least three ribs and the plurality of longitudinal bars can be varied by adjusting the anchoring fasteners;

wherein the plurality of longitudinal bars are configured with a plurality of anchoring points adapted to attach the one or more facets to the plurality of longitudinal bars through the anchoring fasteners; and

wherein each of the at least three ribs comprises a plurality of anchoring orifices adapted for receiving the anchoring fasteners.

2 . The solar concentrator according to claim 1 , wherein at least part of the anchoring fasteners are housed within the plurality of longitudinal bars.

3 . The solar concentrator according to claim 1 , wherein the at least three ribs are channel-formed and comprise fixation surfaces adapted for attachment to the back surface of the facet main body.

4 . The solar concentrator according to claim 3 , wherein the fixation surfaces comprise linear flaps arranged at both sides of the at least three ribs, and wherein the at least three ribs are attached to the back surface of the facet main body through adhesive means applied to the linear flaps.

5 . The solar concentrator according to claim 3 , wherein an inner volume defined by the at least three ribs is configured as a housing for at least part of the anchoring fasteners.

6 . The solar concentrator according to claim 1 , wherein the anchoring fasteners comprise one or more washers configured as conical-spherical pairs of connectors.

7 . The solar concentrator according to claim 1 , wherein the facet main body comprises at least one of: a glass body, a metallic reflective body, a mirror body, a multi-layer or sandwich body, a plastic body, a foam body, a honeycomb body, or any combination thereof, in any possible order.

8 . The solar concentrator according to claim 1 , wherein the facet main body is one of: substantially flat, non-flat, parabolic, cylindrical, hyperbolic, or spherical.

9 . The solar concentrator according to claim 1 , wherein the concentrator main body comprises a torque tube, and wherein the plurality of longitudinal bars are arranged substantially parallel to said torque tube.

10 . The solar concentrator according to claim 9 , wherein:

the plurality of longitudinal bars are arranged substantially parallel to the torque tube;

the plurality of transverse arms are arranged substantially perpendicular to the torque tube;

the plurality of transverse arms are arranged on both sides of the torque tube;

one, two or three of the anchoring fasteners of the at least three ribs are adjustable; and/or

the connection between the plurality of transverse arms and the plurality of longitudinal bars comprises a plurality of fixing means comprising one or more of: screws, nuts, bolts, rivets, or flanges.

11 . The solar concentrator according to claim 9 , wherein the pedestal and the torque tube are configured with dual-axis tracking capacity.

12 . A method for installing a facet for a solar concentrator, suitable for use as a reflective element of the solar concentrator, wherein the solar concentrator comprises a plurality of transverse arms supported by a concentrator main body, the plurality of transverse arms connected to a plurality of longitudinal bars, the plurality of longitudinal bars configured with a plurality of anchoring points adapted to attach the facet to the plurality of longitudinal bars through adjustable anchoring fasteners;

wherein the facet comprises a facet main body defining a front surface and a back surface;

wherein the back surface of the facet main body is attached to at least three substantially linear ribs arranged substantially parallel along said back surface;

wherein at least one of the at least three ribs is configured with the adjustable anchoring fasteners adapted for connection to the structure plurality of longitudinal bars of the solar concentrator, such that a distance between the at least one of the at least three ribs and the plurality of longitudinal bars can be varied by adjusting the anchoring fasteners; and

wherein each of the at least three ribs comprises a plurality of anchoring orifices adapted for receiving the adjustable anchoring fasteners in the solar concentrator;

wherein said method comprises performing the following steps of:

a) mounting the facet in the solar concentrator, by connecting the facet to one or more of the plurality of longitudinal bars through the anchoring fasteners; and

b) adjusting the curvature of the facet around an axis substantially parallel to the at least three ribs, by varying relative distances between at least one of the at least three ribs and the plurality of longitudinal bars.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein a canting operation comprising orienting the facet relative to the solar concentrator is performed during step b) of the method.

14 . The method according to claim 12 , further comprising the following step before step a):

c) adjusting the curvature of the facet around at least one axis thereof, wherein said axis is substantially perpendicular to the axis adjusted in step b).

15 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein, in step c), a curvature on the facet main body is generated by attaching the back surface of the facet main body to the at least three ribs.