Claims
- 1. A planar concentrator solar power module apparatus comprising a planar base, an aligned array of linear photovoltaic cell circuits on the base and an array of linear planar Fresnel lenses above the base for directing focused solar radiation on the aligned array of linear photovoltaic cell circuits.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cell circuits further comprise plastic sheets and silicon cells sandwiched between the plastic sheets.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a glass front plate and a frame surrounding the glass front plate.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the frame is an aluminum frame.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the base further comprises a back panel and wherein the cell circuits are mounted on the back panel.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the back panel is a metal plate.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an area of the cell circuits is less than a total area of the module.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the area of the cell circuits is one half the total area of the module.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the area of the cell circuits is one third the total area of the module.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the array of linear Fresnel lenses is mounted on a bottom of the glass front plate forming a front side of the module.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the array of Fresnel lenses comprises plural lens, each lens having an adequate size and spaced alignment from the cell circuits for sufficiently concentrating energy from sun rays into an adjacent cell circuit.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a power circuit assembly connected to the cell circuits.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein each linear lens has a length greater than a length of the adjacent cell circuit.
- 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein a focal line of each lens is aligned in a north/south direction.
- 15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the power circuit assembly is a linear power circuit assembly.
- 16. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the aligned array of the cell circuits is a shingle-circuit array.
- 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the shingle-circuit array comprises a metal back sheet with embossed terraces, and wherein the cells are mounted in the terraces in a shingle-fashion wherein a back edge of one cell overlaps a front edge of a previous cell.
- 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the shingle-circuit array further comprises metal deposits on a backside, a grid pattern on a front side and a bus bar connected to an edge of a top of the cell circuits.
- 19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the bus bar is electrically connected to a back metal of an adjacent cell forming a front to back series connection between the cells and thereby forming shingle circuits.
- 20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising circuit terminal pads at an end of each circuit.
- 21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising insulated metal elements connecting the circuits to plus and minus panel terminals of a power circuit.
- 22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising an insulating film on the metal back sheet enabling good thermal non-electrical contact between the circuit and the metal back plate.
- 23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein a coefficient of thermal expansion of the metal back sheet is matched with a coefficient of thermal expansion of the cells for matches and uniform expansion of the cells and the metal back sheet in response to changes in temperature.
- 24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the cells are silicon cells and the metal back sheet is of an alloy material.
- 25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the alloy material is alloy 42 comprising Fe 58% and Ni 42%.
- 26. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the front to back series connection comprises ribbon leads running from a back side of one cell to a front side of an adjacent next cell and loops in the ribbon leads for allowing differences in coefficient of thermal expansion between the cells and the metal back sheet.
- 27. A planar concentrator photovoltaic module comprising a planar array of linear circuits, a planar array of linear Fresnel lenses disposed in front of and aligned with the planar array of linear circuits, and a metal sheet forming a base for mounting the planar array of linear circuits for allowing heat spreading and heat removal.
- 28. The module of claim 27, wherein the lenses are longer than the circuits such that an acceptance angle for sunlight in a length dimension is greater than or equal to 20 degrees for allowing polar axis tracking without seasonal adjustments.
- 29. The module of claim 28, wherein lenses have widths about three times larger than a width of the cell circuits, wherein an image from the lens underfills cells in the cell circuits with dark bands on either side of the image allowing for the acceptance angle for sunlight in a width dimension to be greater than or equal to about 5 degrees.
- 30. The module of claim 29, wherein the metal sheet has a coefficient of thermal expansion compatible with a coefficient of thermal expansion of cells in the cell circuits.
- 31. The module of claim 30, wherein the metal sheet has embossed terraces for mounting the cells in a linear shingle circuit.
- 32. A planar concentrator solar power module apparatus comprising a circuit element, rows of series connected solar cells in the circuit element, and linear mirrors in the circuit element for deflecting sun rays to the rows of solar cells.
- 33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the circuit element comprises linear extrusions.
- 34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the linear extrusions include side wall extrusions are disposed along boundaries of the circuit element.
- 35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the linear extrusions include inner extrusions having triangular cross-sections.
- 36. The apparatus of claim 35, further comprising a back panel in the circuit element.
- 37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the back panel is a metal sheet.
- 38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the rows of solar cells are linear silicon-cell circuits mounted on the metal sheet.
- 39. The apparatus of claim 38, further comprising a metal frame and end plates surrounding the circuits.
- 40. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein an area of the cells is less than a total area of the module.
- 41. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the mirrors are disposed between rows of the linear silicon-cell circuits.
- 42. The apparatus of claim 41, further comprising linear extrusions on the circuit element, and wherein the mirrors are mounted on faces of the linear extrusions for deflecting sun rays impinging on each mirror onto the linear silicon-cell circuits.
- 43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the linear extrusions include side-wall extrusions.
- 44. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the linear extrusions include inner extrusions with triangular cross-sections.
- 45. The apparatus of claim 43, further comprising slots in the side wall extrusions, wherein the back panel is coupled to the slots in the side wall extrusions.
- 46. The apparatus of claim 42, further comprising end to end fastener openings in the linear extrusions and fasteners disposed in the fastener openings for coupling the circuit element, the linear mirrors on the linear extrusions, the back panel and the end plates.
- 47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the linear silicon-cell circuits are mounted on the metal back plate with stress relief ribbon bonds between the cells.
- 48. The apparatus of claim 42, further comprising cells with metal deposits on a back side, a grid and bus on a front side, wherein the bus electrically connects to a back metal of an adjacent cell forming a front to back series connection between cells thereby forming shingle-circuit elements.
- 49. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the back plate is a carbon steel back plate.
- 50. The apparatus of claim 48, further comprising laminating capsule for encapsulating the shingled-cell circuit element.
- 51. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the laminating capsule comprises a transparent material.
- 52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the transparent material is a plastic sheet.
- 53. The apparatus of claim 52, further comprising a transparent cover.
- 54. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the transparent cover is a glass plate.
- 55. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the transparent cover is a teflon sheet.
- 56. A method of assembling a planar concentrator solar power module comprising mounting photovoltaic cells on a metal heat spreader back plate and forming a circuit element, connecting the cells in series to form linear circuit rows, mounting linear mirrors on the plate, alternating the linear circuit rows and the linear mirrors in the circuit element, deflecting sun rays with the linear mirrors on to the linear circuit rows, concentrating solar energy into the linear circuit rows and providing optimal thermal energy management.
- 57. The method of claim 56, further comprising transferring waste heat generated from the concentrating solar energy to the metal back plate, spreading the waste heat laterally through the metal plate and causing a temperature of the metal plate to be uniform.
- 58. The method of claim 56, wherein the mounting the cells on the metal plate comprises providing adequate spacing between alternating circuits and allowing a temperature of the metal back plate to be uniform.
- 59. The method of claim 56, further comprising mounting linear extrusions on the metal back plate and mounting the linear mirrors on faces of the linear extrusions and mounting the linear circuit rows between the mirrors.
- 60. The method of claim 59, further comprising allowing for optimal seasonal alignment by providing linear mirrors longer than the linear circuit rows, aligning the mirror focal line in a north/south direction and giving a tracking tolerance in north/south direction corresponding to a movement of the sun.
- 61. The method of claim 60, further comprising allowing for a pointing tolerance in a east/west direction by providing a mirror tilt off-normal angle corresponding to a tracking movement of the sun.
- 62. The method of claim 61, wherein the off-normal angle is about 26°.
- 63. A planar concentrator solar power module apparatus comprising a planar metal base, an aligned array of linear photovoltaic cell circuits on the metal base, an aligned array of linear concentrator elements for directing solar radiation on the aligned array of linear photovoltaic cell circuits, the linear photovoltaic circuits being in thermal contact with the metal base and being electrically isolated from the metal base, wherein an area of the metal base is equal to a total module area for efficient heat spreading and heat removal.
- 64. A planar concentrator solar power module apparatus comprising a planar metal base, an aligned array of linear photovoltaic cell circuits on the metal base, an aligned array of linear concentrator elements for directing solar radiation on the aligned array of linear photovoltaic cell circuits, wherein the linear concentrator elements are longer than the linear photovoltaic cell circuits.
- 65. The apparatus of claim 64, wherein the linear photovoltaic cell circuits and the linear concentrator elements are aligned along a North-South polar axis such that all cells in the linear photovoltaic cell circuits are uniformly illuminated year around.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/374,808 filed Apr. 24, 2002 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/391,122 filed Jun. 25, 2002.
Provisional Applications (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60374808 |
Apr 2002 |
US |
|
60391122 |
Jun 2002 |
US |