Patent Application
20070095385
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The present invention relates to a photovoltaic concentrating apparatus, and more particularly, to a photovoltaic concentrating apparatus, which possesses flexibility for changing architecture and low manufacturing cost.
As industry is experiencing rapid growth, petroleum exhaust and the discharge of greenhouse gases from the use of petroleum are drawing more and more attention. Nowadays, researchers try to find alternative energy sources to achieve a stable energy supply. One such alternative energy source is solar cells, which use the photoelectric effect to transform solar energy into electrical energy without generating polluting gases or greenhouse gases such as those produced by conventional energy sources. Particularly, solar cells can supply stable and safe electrical energy to decrease the use of petroleum.
A. W. Bett et al. disclose a solar energy collecting module consisting of a plurality of collecting units, including a Fresnel lens, a glass frame, a glass substrate and a heat sink (See FLATCON™ and FLASHCON™ CONCEPTS FOR HIGH CONCENTRATION PV, Presented at the 19th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, 7-11 Jun. 2004, Paris). Particularly, each element of the collecting unit is made of glass, which is heavy and inconvenient to assemble. Further, the Fresnel lens and the glass substrate are assembled on the glass frame, and the glass frame must be redesigned whenever the position of the Fresnel lens or the glass substrate is changed. In short, the solar energy collecting module disclosed by A. W. Bett et al. is too heavy for easy assembly, lacks flexibility for design changes, and therefore cannot be widely used.
The objective of the present invention is to provide a photovoltaic concentrating apparatus, which possesses flexibility for changing architecture and low manufacturing cost.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objective and avoid the problems of the prior art, one embodiment of the present invention discloses a photovoltaic concentrating apparatus comprising a supporter and at least one collecting unit positioned on the supporter. The supporter includes a plurality of beams having at least one groove positioned on a side surface of each beam. The collecting unit includes a Fresnel lens positioned on the supporter via a loading frame and a solar cell module positioned on the supporter via a plate. Further, the supporter comprises an upper frame for supporting the Fresnel lens and a bottom frame for supporting the solar cell module.
The solar cell module comprises a dielectric substrate positioned on the plate, a solar cell positioned on the upper surface of the dielectric substrate, a protection diode positioned on the upper surface of the dielectric substrate, a condenser configured to condense light beams from the Fresnel lens to the solar cell, and a heat sink positioned on the back surface of the dielectric substrate. Preferably, the supporter is made of aluminum or aluminum-containing alloy and the beam includes at least one hollow interior to reduce the weight of the supporter. In addition, the surface of the supporter is preferably blasted, anodized, or electroplated.
The supporter may comprise a corner member having a plurality of openings for connecting two perpendicular beams, a nut positioned in the groove of the beam, and a bolt capable of fixing the corner member on the beam, wherein the two perpendicular beams can be assembled by the screwing of the bolt and the nut via the opening of the corner member. In addition, the supporter may comprise a nut positioned in a first beam, a fixture having an opening positioned in a second beam perpendicular to the first beam, and a bolt capable of fixing the first beam and the second beam, wherein the first beam and the second beam can be assembled by the screwing of the bolt and the nut via the opening of the fixture.
The prior art uses frames made of glass, which is too heavy to be assembled conveniently and lacks flexibility for design changes. Conversely, the present supporter is preferably made of aluminum or aluminum-containing alloy and the beam includes at least one hollow interior, and therefore can decrease the weight of the photovoltaic concentrating apparatus dramatically. In addition, the beam of the supporter is grooved, which allows the Fresnel lens and the solar cell module to be assembled at a random position on the beam, and therefore a designer or user can randomly change the number and position of the Fresnel lens and the solar cell module, i.e. the present photovoltaic concentrating apparatus possesses flexibility for changing architecture randomly.
The objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following description and upon reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
The prior art uses frames made of glass, which is too heavy to be assembled conveniently and lacks flexibility for changes in design. Conversely, the present supporter is preferably made of aluminum or aluminum-containing alloy and the beam includes at least one hollow interior, and therefore can decrease the weight of the photovoltaic concentrating apparatus dramatically. In addition, the beam of the supporter is grooved, which allows the Fresnel lens and the solar cell module to be assembled at a random position on the beam, and therefore a designer or user can randomly change the number and position of the Fresnel lens and the solar cell module, i.e. the present photovoltaic concentrating apparatus possesses flexibility for changing architecture randomly.
The above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustrative only. Numerous alternative embodiments may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 094137771 | Oct 2005 | TW | national |
