Skylights with integrated photovoltaics and refractive light-steering
AssigneeArizona Board of Regents on behalf of Arizona State University
InventorsTyler Blundo, Christiana Honsberg, Stephen Goodnick, Richard King, Nicholas Irvin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A skylight for a building includes a solar panel arranged within the skylight, the solar panel comprising one or more photovoltaic cells to collect direct radiation from rays of sunlight for conversion to electrical power, and an optical element to receive the direct radiation and refract it to the solar panel, and to receive the direct radiation and diffuse radiation scattered from the rays of sunlight and refract the direct radiation and the diffuse radiation through the skylight, bypassing the solar panel, to provide daylighting in the building.
Claims15
A skylight for a building, comprising:
- a solar panel arranged within the skylight, the solar panel comprising one or more photovoltaic cells to collect direct radiation from rays of sunlight entering the skylight for conversion to electrical power and reflect diffuse radiation to provide daylighting in the building;
- and
- an optical element arranged within the skylight between the rays of sunlight entering the skylight and the solar panel, wherein the optical element is formed from multiple equilateral triangular glass objects, each oriented with one side aligned with an exterior surface of the skylight;
- and
- wherein the solar panel is configured to:
- intercept the direct radiation and refract and/or reflect it to the solar panel, and receive the direct radiation and diffuse radiation scattered from the rays of sunlight and refract and/or reflect the direct and/or diffuse radiation through the skylight to provide daylighting in the building.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.