Concentrating solar energy collector
View Patent ↗Systems, methods, and apparatus by which solar energy may be collected to provide electricity, heat, or a combination of electricity and heat are disclosed herein.
1. A solar energy collector comprising:
a linearly extending receiver comprising solar cells;
a linearly extending reflector oriented parallel to a long axis of the receiver and fixed in position with respect to the receiver; and
a linearly extending support structure supporting the receiver and the reflector and pivotably mounted to accommodate rotation of the support structure, the reflector, and the receiver about a rotation axis parallel to the long axis of the receiver to concentrate solar radiation onto the solar cells;
wherein the support structure comprises a plurality of receiver supports arranged to support the receiver above the reflector, and each of the receiver supports is tilted in a same direction along the rotation axis;
wherein the reflector comprises a plurality of reflector-panel assemblies, each reflector-panel assembly comprising a plurality of linearly extending reflective elements arranged side-by-side on an upper surface of a flexible panel and oriented parallel to the rotation axis;
wherein each reflector-panel assembly comprises a plurality of longitudinal reflector supports arranged under the flexible panel and oriented parallel to the linearly extending reflective elements; and
wherein the solar energy collector comprises a plurality of transverse reflector supports extending away from the rotation axis to support the reflector and a plurality of hanger joists attached to each transverse reflector support, wherein ends of the longitudinal reflector supports are attached to and supported by the hanger joists.
2. The solar energy collector of claim 1 , wherein the solar cells are arranged on a surface of the receiver oriented perpendicularly to optical axes of the reflector.
3. The solar energy collector of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of receiver supports comprises a plurality of primary receiver supports and a plurality of secondary receiver supports, the primary receiver supports are in compression, and the secondary receiver supports are under tension.
4. The solar energy collector of claim 3 , wherein the secondary receiver supports are thinner than the primary receiver supports.
5. The solar energy collector of claim 3 , wherein the primary receiver supports are arranged in mirror image pairs along the rotation axis.
6. The solar energy collector of claim 5 , wherein the secondary receiver supports are arranged along the rotation axis in an alternating manner with longitudinally adjacent secondary receiver supports on opposite sides of the rotation axis.
7. The solar energy collector of claim 1 , wherein the receiver supports are coupled to the receiver with hinged brackets.
8. The solar energy collector of claim 7 , wherein the hinged brackets have two pivot axes each of which is oriented perpendicular to the rotation axis.
9. The solar energy collector of claim 1 , comprising an end receiver support at each end of the solar energy collector, the end receiver supports extending parallel to optical axes of the reflector to support outer ends of the receiver above the reflector.
10. The solar energy collector of claim 1 ,
wherein the lower ends of the receiver supports are attached to outer ends of corresponding transverse reflector supports.
11. The solar energy collector of claim 1 , wherein the receiver comprises a plurality of linearly extending receiver subsections coupled end-to-end, each receiver subsection comprises one or more fluid channels accommodating flow of a heat transfer fluid through the receiver subsection along its long axis, and fluid interconnections between the receiver subsections are rigid and in line with the receiver subsections.
12. The solar energy collector of claim 11 , wherein the receiver supports are coupled to the receiver with hinged brackets.
13. The solar energy collector of claim 1 , wherein the receiver comprises one or more fluid channels accommodating flow of a heat transfer fluid through the receiver, comprising a heat exchanger at least partially shaded by the solar energy collector during operation of the solar energy collector.
14. The solar energy collector of claim 13 , wherein the heat exchanger is a passive heat exchanger attached to and rotating with the support structure.
15. The solar energy collector of claim 14 , wherein the passive heat exchanger comprises finned tubes shaded by the reflector during operation of the solar energy collector.
16. The solar energy collector of claim 14 , wherein the receiver comprises heat-exchanger fins.
17. The solar energy collector of claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal reflector supports snap on to the hanger joists, with features on the longitudinal reflector supports interlocking with complementary features on the hanger joists.
18. The solar energy collector of claim 1 , wherein attachment of the longitudinal reflector supports to the hanger joists forces ends of the flexible panels against curved edges of the transverse reflector supports to thereby impose a desired reflector curvature on the reflector-panel assemblies.
19. The solar energy collector of claim 1 , wherein the reflector-panel assemblies are arranged end-to-end in line along the rotation axis with ends of adjacent reflector-panel assemblies vertically offset with respect to each other to form a repeating pattern of tilted reflector-panel assemblies.
20. The solar energy collector of claim 1 , wherein the offset ends of adjacent reflector-panel assemblies overlap.
21. The solar energy collector of claim 1 , comprising a torque tube defining the rotation axis and a plurality of support posts supporting the torque tube above an underlying surface, wherein each support post comprises a neck region below the rotation axis which provides clearance for a portion of the support structure and thereby extends the angular range over which the support structure may be rotated.
22. The solar energy collector of claim 1 , wherein:
the solar cells are arranged on a surface of the receiver oriented perpendicularly to the optical axes of the reflector;
the lower ends of the receiver supports are attached to outer ends of corresponding transverse reflector supports and the upper ends of the receiver supports are coupled to the receiver with hinged brackets; and
the plurality of receiver supports comprises a plurality of primary receiver supports and a plurality of secondary receiver supports, the primary receiver supports are in compression, and the secondary receiver supports are under tension.
23. The solar energy collector of claim 22 , comprising an end receiver support at each end of the solar energy collector, the end receiver supports extending parallel to optical axes of the reflector to support outer ends of the receiver above the reflector.
24. The solar energy collector of claim 23 , wherein the reflector-panel assemblies are arranged end-to-end in line along the rotation axis with ends of adjacent reflector-panel assemblies vertically offset with respect to each other to form a repeating pattern of tilted reflector-panel assemblies.
25. The solar energy collector of claim 23 , wherein the receiver comprises a plurality of linearly extending receive subsections coupled end-to-end, each receiver subsection comprises one or more fluid channels accommodating flow of a heat transfer fluid through the receiver subsection along its long axis, and fluid interconnections between the receiver subsections are rigid and in line with the receiver subsections.
26. The solar energy collector of claim 23 , wherein the receiver comprises one or more fluid channels accommodating flow of a heat transfer fluid through the receiver, comprising a passive heat exchanger attached to and rotating with the support structure and shaded by the reflector during operation of the solar energy collector.
27. A solar energy collector comprising:
a linearly extending receiver;
a linearly extending reflector oriented parallel to a long axis of the receiver and fixed in position with respect to the receiver; and
a linearly extending support structure supporting the receiver and the reflector and pivotably mounted to accommodate rotation of the support structure, the reflector, and the receiver about a rotation axis parallel to the long axis of the receiver;
wherein the support structure comprises a plurality of receiver supports and a plurality of hinged receiver brackets, the hinged receiver brackets coupling the receiver to upper ends of the receiver supports, the receiver supports arranged to support the receiver above the reflector;
wherein the reflector comprises a plurality of reflector-panel assemblies, each reflector-panel assembly comprising a plurality of linearly extending reflective elements arranged side-by-side on an upper surface of a flexible panel and oriented parallel to the rotation axis;
wherein each reflector-panel assembly comprises a plurality of longitudinal reflector supports arranged under the flexible panel and oriented parallel to the linearly extending reflective elements; and
wherein the solar energy collector comprises a plurality of transverse reflector supports extending away from the rotation axis to support the reflector and a plurality of hanger joists attached to each transverse reflector support, wherein ends of the longitudinal reflector supports are attached to and supported by the hanger joists.
28. The solar energy collector of claim 27 , wherein the receiver comprises solar cells arranged on a surface of the receiver oriented perpendicularly to optical axes of the reflector.
29. The solar energy collector of claim 27 , wherein the receiver comprises one or more channels accommodating flow of a heat transfer fluid through the receiver.
30. The solar energy collector of claim 27 , wherein the receiver comprises a plurality of linearly extending receiver subsections coupled end-to-end, each receiver subsection comprises one or more fluid channels accommodating flow of a heat transfer fluid through the receiver subsection along its long axis, and fluid interconnections between the receiver subsections are rigid and in line with the receiver subsections.
31. The solar energy collector of claim 29 , comprising a heat exchanger at least partially shaded by the solar energy collector during operation of the solar energy collector.
32. The solar energy collector of claim 31 , wherein the heat exchanger is a passive heat exchanger attached to and rotating with the support structure.
33. The solar energy collector of claim 32 , wherein the passive heat exchanger comprises finned tubes shaded by the reflector during operation of the solar energy collector.
34. The solar energy collector of claim 27 , wherein the hinged brackets have two pivot axes each of which is oriented perpendicular to the rotation axis.
35. The solar energy collector of claim 27 , wherein lower ends of the receiver supports are attached to outer ends of corresponding transverse reflector supports.
36. The solar energy collector of claim 27 , wherein the longitudinal reflector supports snap on to the hanger joists, with features on the longitudinal reflector supports interlocking with complementary features on the hanger joists.
37. The solar energy collector of claim 27 , wherein attachment of the longitudinal reflector supports to the hanger joists forces ends of the flexible panels against curved edges of the transverse reflector supports to thereby impose a desired reflector curvature on the reflector-panel assemblies.
38. The solar energy collector of claim 27 , wherein the reflector-panel assemblies are arranged end-to-end in line along the rotation axis with ends of adjacent reflector-panel assemblies vertically offset with respect to each other to form a repeating pattern of tilted reflector-panel assemblies.
39. The solar energy collector of claim 38 , wherein the offset ends of adjacent reflector-panel assemblies overlap.
40. The solar energy collector of claim 27 , comprising a torque tube defining the rotation axis and a plurality of support posts supporting the torque tube above an underlying surface, wherein each support post comprises a neck region below the rotation axis which provides clearance for a portion of the support structure and thereby extends the angular range over which the support structure may be rotated.
41. The solar energy collector of claim 27 , wherein:
the receiver comprises a plurality of linearly extending receiver subsections coupled end-to-end, each receiver subsection comprises one or more fluid channels accommodating flow of a heat transfer fluid through the receiver subsection along its long axis, and fluid interconnections between the receiver subsections are rigid and in line with the receiver subsections; and
each receiver subsection comprises solar cells arranged on a surface of the receiver subsection oriented perpendicularly to optical axes of the reflector.
42. The solar energy collector of claim 41 , wherein the reflector-panel assemblies are arranged end-to-end in line along the rotation axis with ends of adjacent reflector-panel assemblies vertically offset with respect to each other to form a repeating pattern of tilted reflector-panel assemblies.
43. The solar energy collector of claim 41 , comprising a passive heat exchanger attached to and rotating with the support structure and shaded by the reflector during operation of the solar energy collector.