CONCENTRATED PHOTOVOLTAIC PANEL
Concentrated photovoltaic panel comprises: (1) a receiver substrate assembly including: (a) a rigid sheet of light transmissive material having a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a conductor pattern attached to the first surface; and (b) at least one receiver assembly affixed to the rigid sheet, each receiver assembly including a photovoltaic cell in electrical communication with the conductor pattern; and (2) at least one light-guide optic attached to and supported by the receiver substrate assembly, each light-guide optic in optical communication with the photovoltaic cell of an associated one of the at least one receiver assembly for guiding light received via the receiver substrate assembly toward said photovoltaic cell.
1 . A concentrated photovoltaic panel comprising:
a receiver substrate assembly including:
a rigid sheet of light transmissive material having a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a conductor pattern attached to the first surface; and
at least one receiver assembly affixed to the rigid sheet, each receiver assembly including a photovoltaic cell in electrical communication with the conductor pattern;
at least one light-guide optic attached to and supported by the receiver substrate assembly, each light-guide optic in optical communication with the photovoltaic cell of an associated one of the at least one receiver assembly for guiding light received via the receiver substrate assembly toward said photovoltaic cell.
2 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 1 wherein the at least one light-guide optic is attached to and supported by the first surface of the receiver substrate assembly.
3 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 2 further comprising at least one focusing optic attached to and support by the second surface of the receiver substrate assembly, each focusing optic associated with and in optical communication with one of the at least one light-guide optic, each focusing optic comprising at least one focusing element for cooperative operation with the light-guide optic.
4 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 1 , wherein each light-guide optic comprises at least one reflective surface for guiding light received via the receiver substrate assembly toward the photovoltaic cell of the associated receiver assembly.
5 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 3 , 4 wherein the at least one focusing element includes a lens.
6 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 1 , wherein the metallization pattern includes two or more bus bars.
7 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 1 , wherein the light transmissive material of the rigid sheet is a thermally insulating material.
8 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 1 , wherein the light transmissive material of the rigid sheet is glass.
9 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 1 , wherein the first and second surfaces of the rigid sheet are flat and parallel to each other.
10 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 1 , wherein the light-guide optic is made of a different material than the rigid sheet.
11 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 1 , wherein the light-guide optic is made of poly(methyl)methacrylate.
12 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 3 , wherein the focusing optic is made of a different material than the rigid sheet.
13 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 3 , wherein the focusing optic is made of poly(methyl)methacrylate.
14 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 3 , wherein at least one of the at least one light-guide optic and the at least one focusing optic is 3D printed onto the rigid sheet.
15 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 1 , wherein the conductor pattern comprises at least two bus bars and a plurality of interconnection traces for electrical connection of the at least one receiver assembly to the bus bars.
16 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 1 , wherein the conductor pattern comprises a heat spreader portion.
17 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 16 wherein the heat spreader portion comprises a positive half and a negative half, each half comprising a plurality of arms in the shape of circular arcs and a terminus interconnected by an interconnection trace.
18 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 1 , wherein the conductor pattern is metalized onto the first surface.
19 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 1 , wherein the conductor pattern is formed from a sheet of conductive material.
20 . (canceled)
21 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 3 , wherein the conductor pattern comprises a heat spreader portion.
22 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 20 , wherein the conductor pattern is disposed between the rigid sheet and one of the light guide optic and the at least one focusing optic, and the heat spreader portion is shaped and positioned so as to avoid blocking light transmitted from the at least one focusing optic to the reflecting surfaces of the light guide optic.
23 . A concentrated photovoltaic panel comprising:
a rigid sheet of light-transmissive material having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface;
at least one light-guide optic attached to and supported by the first surface of the rigid sheet of light-transmissive material, the at least one light-guide optic being in optical communication with a photovoltaic cell and having at least one reflective surface for guiding light received through the light-transmissive material toward the photovoltaic cell;
at least one focusing optic attached to and supported by the second surface of the rigid sheet of light-transmissive material, the least one focusing optic associated with and in optical communication with one of the at least one light-guide optic, each focusing optic having at least one focusing element for cooperative operation with the at least one light-guide optic; and
the photovoltaic cell being intermediate the at least one light-guide optic and the at least one focusing optic.
24 . A concentrated photovoltaic panel comprising:
a receiver substrate assembly including:
a rigid sheet of light transmissive material having a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface; and
a photovoltaic cell affixed to the first surface of the rigid sheet and in electrical communication with a conductor;
a focusing optic attached to and supported by the second surface of the receiver substrate assembly, the focusing optic having a plurality of concentric ring-shaped lenses;
a light-guide optic attached to and supported by the first surface of the receiver substrate assembly, the light-guide optic having a plurality of ring-shaped reflective surfaces, each of the ring-shaped reflective surfaces associated with and in optical communication with one of the ring-shaped lenses, each of the ring-shaped reflective surfaces for guiding light optically towards the photovoltaic cell; and
each of the ring-shaped lenses focusing direct light impinging thereon through the light-transmissive body of the focusing optic, the rigid sheet and the light-transmissive body of the light-guide optic to a ring-shaped focus of that ring-shaped lens, the ring-shaped focus being positioned near the ring-shaped reflective surface of the light-guide optic associated with that ring-shaped lens such that substantially all of the light focused by that lens reflects off that reflective surface optically towards the photovoltaic cell.
25 . The concentrated photovoltaic panel of claim 24 , wherein the light-guide optic further comprises a ring-shaped conditioning surface that receives reflected light from each of the ring-shaped reflecting surfaces and reflects the received reflected light towards the photovoltaic cell.