Platform for recovering solar energy

Batteries: thermoelectric and photoelectric – Photoelectric – Panel or array

Patent

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Details

126565, 126567, 136248, H01L 31052, H01L 31058

Patent

active

056651740

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention describes a platform which is supported by a water layer, experiences a daily rotation about the vertical axis at the angular velocity of the sun and is rotated back during the night. To follow the solar altitude, the incident radiation is refracted towards the vertical to such an extent that all refracted sunrays strike the radiation converter.


PRIOR ART

Solar energy converters which are arranged on a body of water and track the azimuth are known. Their disadvantage is that the concentrators have to be oriented according to the particular solar altitude, which entails considerable mechanical effort. A second disadvantage is that the pivotable concentrators give rise to high drags so that wind forces cause the total installation to vibrate. In addition, all large components exposed to wind forces must be constructed using an appropriate quantity of material. A third disadvantage is that concentrators placed one behind the other viewed in the direction of the sun must be installed such a large distance apart that they do not cast shadows on one another.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is the realization of two axis tracking in the case of a platform whose surface presents no end surfaces to the wind and in which furthermore the entire area of the platform is used as an aperture area owing to the absence of mutual shading.
In order to realize this, the invention envisages a platform having a metallic base which has parallel channels whose lower surfaces extend close to the base of a water tank and which carry the photocells, so that the heat loss is passed through the base into the water and in particular into the water volume located at a higher level. The sun's rays are guided over as large a solar elevation interval as possible by a cylindrical lens system which preferably consists of several lens arrangements located one underneath the other. The invention gives preference to a system in which triangular prismatic channels whose non-transmitting boundary faces are mirrored are formed between the lens arrangements. These lens arrangements substituting mechanical tracking of the solar elevation and referred to below as tracking lenses are arranged above a concentrating Fresnel lens. An advantageous embodiment envisages the integration of a tracking lens with a Fresnel lens. The invention furthermore relates to means which ensure that the photocells are irradiated as uniformly as possible. As a first measure, the photocells float in troughs and follow the height movement of a focal line. In a more advantageous solution, secondary lenses are used for compensation of the shift in height. It proves to be advantageous if the radiation is guided in such a way that the outward-facing layer of the horizontally oriented lens arrangement has an upward-facing first, smooth boundary face and possesses, on the downward-facing side, a group of secondary boundary faces divided into steps, the boundary faces of the steps making an angle with the first boundary face such that, optionally in cooperation with further lens arrangements, a sunray which makes an angle of more than 60.degree. with the vertical is refracted to give an emerging ray which makes an angle of more than 110.degree. with the direction of incidence of the sunray and at the same time and, simultaneously with the vertical, makes an angle of less than 30.degree. with a limb opposite the direction of incidence, while a sunray whose angle of incidence relative to the vertical is less than 20.degree. is refracted to give an emerging ray which points towards the sun and whose limb points towards the sun and which makes an angle of less than 30.degree. with the vertical, so that the emerging rays are concentrated onto a radiation converter. In the most advantageous solution, the angles of incidence have equal magnitudes.


BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 schematically shows a platform having an edge zone.
FIG. 2 shows a cut-out II from FIG. 1, in vertical section.
FIG. 3 shows a perspecti

REFERENCES:
patent: 5286305 (1994-02-01), Laing et al.
patent: 5445177 (1995-08-01), Laing et al.

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