Concentrating solar power with glasshouses
A protective transparent enclosure, such as a greenhouse, encloses a concentrated solar power system having line-focus solar energy concentrators. The line-focus solar energy concentrators have a reflective front layer, a core layer, and a rear layer. The core and the rear layers, when bonded with the reflective front layer, enable the line-focus solar energy concentrator, in some embodiments, to retain a particular form without additional strengthening elements. In some embodiments, the core layer and/or the rear layer are formed by removing material from a single piece of material.
1. A system comprising:
a front layer having outer and inner surfaces, the front layer being reflective to incident solar radiation;
a honeycomb core layer;
a rear layer having outer and inner surfaces;
wherein at least a portion of the honeycomb core layer is situated between the inner surfaces of the front and the rear layers and is bonded directly to the inner surface of the front layer;
wherein the front, the rear, and the honeycomb core layers are laminated to collectively have a weight of less than 4 kilograms per square meter, and operate as a line-focus solar energy concentrator of the incident solar radiation.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein glue bonds the front layer, the honeycomb core layer, and the rear layer.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the front layer comprises polished aluminum sheet, the honeycomb core layer comprises aluminum honeycomb, and the rear layer comprises aluminum sheet.
4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the front layer comprises polished aluminum sheet, the core honeycomb layer comprises an aluminum honeycomb layer that is continuous in a direction transverse to a focal line of the solar energy concentrator, and the rear layer comprises aluminum sheet.
5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the front layer comprises mirrored glass sheet and the rear layer comprises steel sheet.
6. The system of claim 2 , wherein the front layer comprises one of polished aluminum sheet, back surface mirrored glass, and front surface mirrored glass.
7. The system of claim 2 , wherein a cross-section of the bonded layers approximates a segment of a parabolic curve.
8. The system of claim 2 , further comprising one or more ribs positioned to support a section of the bonded layers via the outer surface of the rear layer.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the ribs are comprised of laminated composites.
10. The system of claim 1 wherein the front layer and the rear layer are each attached directly to the honeycomb core layer.
11. The system of claim 10 wherein at least one of the front layer and the rear layer includes a coating.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein the front layer includes back surface mirrored glass.
13. The system of claim 1 wherein the concentrator is positioned within a glass enclosure.
14. The system of claim 13 wherein the concentrator is suspended from an overhead structural element of the glass enclosure.
15. The system of claim 13 , further comprising a dehumidification system positioned within the glass enclosure.
16. The system of claim 14 , further comprising a plurality of independently controllable motors positioned along a length of the concentrator to rotate the concentrator.
17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising a controller operatively coupled to the plurality of motors and programmed with instructions that, when executed, direct the motors to move the concentrator to track the sun.
18. The system of claim 16 wherein a first motor operates as a backup to a second motor.
19. The system of claim 16 , further comprising a plurality of sensors coupled to corresponding motors.
20. The system of claim 14 wherein the concentrator is one of multiple concentrators, and wherein neighboring concentrators are connected end-to-end in a longitudinal direction.
21. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a glass enclosure in which the concentrator is positioned;
a dehumidification system positioned within the glass enclosure;
a plurality of independently controllable motors positioned along a length of the concentrator to rotate the concentrator; and
a controller operatively coupled to the plurality of motors and programmed with instructions that, when executed, direct the motors to rotate the concentrator to track the sun,
wherein:
the concentrator is one of multiple concentrators, with neighboring concentrators connected end-to-end in a longitudinal direction, and
at least one of the front layer and the rear layer includes a coating.