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US 11,035,592 B1Granted
Heliostat array with inflatable cover
AssigneeHeliogen, Inc.
InventorsWilliam Gross, Andrea Pedretti
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AssigneeHeliogen, Inc.
InventorsWilliam Gross, Andrea Pedretti
Estimating the term…
A solar collector system comprising at least one heliostat and an inflatable cover configured to protectively conceal the at least one heliostat while it tracks the sun. The inflatable cover comprises a flexible membrane, which is transparent and colorless so that sunlight is transmitted through the cover. The cover may comprise an elastomeric material such as ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE). The solar collector system may further include a pump for inflating the inflatable cover, a pressure relief valve configured to prevent air pressure in the inflatable cover from exceeding a predetermined threshold, and a pressure sensor configured to automatically turn on the pump when the internal pressure falls below a predetermined threshold. The inflatable cover effectively removes wind loading from the heliostats, thus enabling the heliostats to use low-power, less-expensive actuators.
A solar collector system comprising:
A solar collector system comprising:
A solar collector system comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.