Photovoltaic system with light concentrating optical component
AssigneeImam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University
InventorFahad Gallab Al-Amri
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Abstract
The HCPV system includes a plurality of modules connected to an array, a casing, a plurality of inverted pyramids, a plurality of solar cells, and a backplate. Each module includes an optical component that concentrates light onto a single solar cell and a single inverted pyramid with solid lateral faces connects the optical component at a peripheral edge of a base of the pyramid to the single solar cell at an apex of the inverted pyramid. The casing has a top frame and a bottom frame. The top frame surrounds each optical component on the peripheral edge of the pyramid, and the bottom frame surrounds each solar cell on the apex of the pyramid. The top frame and bottom frame are separated by a plurality of supports. The backplate is a plurality of interconnected circular pads.
Claims19
A light concentrating photovoltaic system with a plurality of light concentrating optical components, comprising:
- a plurality of modules connected to form a module array;
- a casing;
- a plurality of inverted pyramids as the plurality of light concentrating optical components;
- a plurality of solar cells;
- and
- a backplate array comprising a plurality of interconnected circular pads interconnected by a grid structure, wherein all of the interconnected circular pads are coplanar;
- wherein:
- each module comprises one inverted pyramid of the plurality of inverted pyramids, and one solar cell of the plurality of solar cells, to concentrate light onto the corresponding solar cell of the plurality of solar cells;
- wherein each inverted pyramid has solid lateral faces and connects the optical component at a peripheral edge of a base of the pyramid to a corresponding solar cell of the plurality of solar cells at a plane formed at a truncation of the inverted pyramid at a height of about 5% of the height of the inverted pyramid at an apex thereof;
- and
- the casing has a top frame and a bottom frame;
- wherein:
- the top frame surrounds a periphery of the module array;
- the bottom frame surrounds a periphery of the backplate array;
- and
- the top frame and bottom frame are connected by a plurality of supports;
- wherein each solar cell is arranged in a center portion of a corresponding interconnected circular pad of the backplate array;
- each light concentrating optical component is a Fresnel lens that is configured to concentrate light onto a corresponding solar cell without diffusion by other optical components;
- a ratio of a diameter of the interconnected circular pad of the backplate array to half a length of a corresponding Fresnel lens is 0.6 to 0.8;
- the grid structure connects the plurality of interconnected circular pads to the bottom frame;
- each solar cell of the plurality of solar cells is adiabatically separated from one another, and
- wherein the interconnected circular pad of the backplate array has a thermal conductivity of 200 W/mK to 400 W/mK.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.