Batteries: thermoelectric and photoelectric – Photoelectric – Panel or array
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-03
2004-11-16
Diamond, Alan (Department: 1753)
Batteries: thermoelectric and photoelectric
Photoelectric
Panel or array
C136S244000, C136S291000, C136S256000, C052S173300, C062S648000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06818820
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solar cell structural body comprising a solar cell and a concrete member, particularly a solar cell structural body comprising a solar cell arranged on a concrete retaining body such that part of a conductor portion of said solar cell is contacted with said concrete retaining body a solar cell array and a sunlight power generation system in which said solar cell structural body is used. The term “conductor portion” in the present invention means an exposed conductor portion extending from the electrode of the solar cell.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, societal consciousness of the problems relating to the environment and energy has been increasing all over the world. Particularly, the earth warming because of the so-called greenhouse effect due to an increase of atmospheric CO
2
has been predicted to cause a serious problem. In view of this, public attention has been focused on a sunlight power generation system (that is, a solar cell power generation system) for the reason that it is a clean power generation system which generates electric power using sunlight, which is evenly accessible at any place In the world, as the power generation energy source, and which can attain relatively high power generation efficiency without necessity of using a complicated large installation.
Presently, as such sunlight power generation system, a variety of solar cell modules have been used at certain private residential buildings and at certain public facilities and also for portable appliances. However, such solar cell modules are still expensive. This situation has presented a major obstacle in making the use of solar cell modules more widespread not only at private residential buildings but also at public facilities.
As one of the measures to overcome this obstacle, there can be mentioned a manner of integrating a solar cell module with a relatively inexpensive product in a different industrial field to diminish the total cost. As a typical example of a solar cell module of the type installed on a building structural body, there can be mentioned a trestle installation type solar cell module comprising a framed solar cell module installed on a trestle provided on a roof and a building material integral type solar cell module comprising a solar cell module integrated with a building material. These solar cell modules presently have been spotlighted for the reasons that the material cost can be diminished because a roofing material as a separate member is not required to be used and the construction cost upon the installation can be diminished because they can be installed in the same manner as in the ordinary roof installation, where the solar cell modules can be installed on a roof of a building at a relatively low cost in terms of the total cost. In addition, the roof installed with any of these solar cell modules has a beautiful exterior appearance which is in harmony with surrounding roofs.
Solar cell modules in recent years which are represented by aforementioned solar cell modules are of value-added types integrated with products in various industrial fields. To be more specific, these solar cell modules share the material costs and the production costs of the two members, and when the shared costs are considered as the total cost, it can be said that the total cost is markedly reduced.
Separately, for the sunlight power generation system, it is expected to be used at power generation facilities in the near future as a new energy source to replace the present energy source.
Incidentally, in order to comply with the consumption of power which has been continuously increasing year by year, power generation facilities have been newly established in recent years. Particularly, the consumption of power becomes significant during day time, when people work in the offices and the like, where it often reaches a peak mainly due to a significant increase in the energy consumed in operating the equipment used for office work and the like. In addition, especially during summer time, the consumption of power frequently reaches a peak due to a marked increase in the energy consumed in operating cooling systems. This phenomenon of reaching a peak in terms of the consumption of power is generally called an energy peak.
Now, the power generation facilities newly established up to the present time include thermal power stations, hydraulic power stations, atomic power stations and the like. However, in recent years, in the light of prevention of the earth warming, environmental protection and the like, sunlight power generation, wind power generation, geothermal power generation and the like have been spotlighted.
The peak energy time zone in summer time or day time is a time zone when sunlight is irradiated. Thus, public attention is focused on a sunlight power generation plant where a sunlight power generation system having a performance capable of generating a large energy (power) in the peak energy time zone is used as the power source.
However, in the case where a solar cell module is used as the sunlight power generation system as the power source in the sunlight power generation plant, the power generation cost (the cost of the power generated) becomes very high as long as an ordinary solar cell module is used as said solar cell module. In order to improve this situation, it is considered to be effective to adopt the foregoing manner in that a solar cell module is integrated with a relatively inexpensive product in a different industrial field so as to share the material costs and the production costs of the two members, whereby the total cost is reduced.
However, when such a solar cell module is used as the power source in a sunlight power generation plant, the essential function is to generate power and other functions are not necessitated necessary. To be more specific, for use together with the power source in a thermal power station or the like, it is a very important factor to use not such value-added solar cell module but a relevant solar cell module which is the same as the power source in the thermal power station or the like in terms of the power generation cost. In light of prevention of global warming, environmental protection and the like, it is ideal to use only a relevant sunlight power generation system which provides clean energy. However, since the sunlight power generation system is excessively costly, it is almost impossible that the new power source replaces the conventional power source.
To be more specific, any of the presently available solar cell modules which are costly in terms of the cost of the power generated is very difficult to use as the power source in the power plant.
The foregoing power generation cost is obtained from the equation: power generation cost=[(annual apparatus cost) +(annual repair cost+annual maintenance cost)+(annual fuel cost)]/(annual generated power quantity). The annual apparatus cost here means a cost obtained by dividing the total construction expense (the total initial investment amount) by the service life year of the power generation system. However, in this case, the interests must be taken into consideration. The “annual repair cost+annual maintenance cost” means the sum of the annual expenses required for the maintenance of the power generation system. The annual fuel cost means the sum of the annual expenses required for the fuel necessary to operate the power generation system.
In the case of a sunlight power generation system in which a solar cell module is used, unlimited solar energy which is evenly accessible at any place in the world is used in order to generate electric power and therefore, the above-mentioned annual fuel cost is not necessitated. In addition, the “annual repair cost+annual maintenance cost” does not become considerable. A main factor to increase the power generation cost in the case of the sunlight power generation system is the annual apparatus cost, where the watt
Itoyama Shigenori
Makita Hidehisa
Matsushita Masaaki
Mukai Takaaki
Takabayashi Akiharu
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Diamond Alan
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
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