Synergistic tracking integrated photovoltaic and concentrating cogeneration solar energy harvesting system

A hybrid renewable energy harvesting system comprising in combination:

• a support structure configured to be supported at least in part by a hydrostatic support force arising from water displacement in a water layer above an Earth layer;
• a heliostatic tracking system with a controllable actuation system for moving a frame to track apparent Sun motion above said Earth layer;
• a solar cogeneration system connected to said frame and receiving support from said support structure, wherein said solar cogeneration system includes a solar cogeneration module comprising:
• a linear concentrating reflective surface configured to face toward the Sun and receive sunlight directly from the Sun when said heliostatic tracking system is operating to track said apparent Sun motion, a linear concentrating photovoltaic receiver configured to at least partially face said linear concentrating reflective surface and therefrom receive reflected and concentrated sunlight from the Sun, and a heat transfer subsystem configured to receive heat energy from said linear concentrating photovoltaic receiver and to transfer at least a portion of said heat energy to usable heat energy in a flowing heat transfer fluid;
• and
• a photovoltaic panel connected to said frame and configured to receive sunlight directly from the Sun when said heliostatic tracking system is operating to track said apparent Sun motion, said photovoltaic panel configured with spacing from said linear concentrating reflective surface:
• (a) to enable said photovoltaic panel and said linear concentrating reflective surface to concurrently receive sunlight directly from the Sun when said heliostatic tracking system is operating to track said apparent Sun motion, and (b) to enable said photovoltaic panel to harvest a first portion of solar energy in sunlight falling thereon as electrical energy, and (c) to enable said solar cogeneration system to harvest both a second portion of solar energy in sunlight falling thereon as electrical energy and a third portion of solar energy in sunlight falling thereon as said usable heat energy wherein said usable heat energy is carried by said flowing heat transfer fluid at an elevated temperature above ambient temperature;
• wherein said support structure includes floatation structure configured to be supported by said hydrostatic support force from water displacement in said water layer, and wherein said heliostatic tracking system comprises a heliostatic azimuth tracking subsystem configured to provide azimuth heliostatic tracking with said controllable actuation system comprising an azimuth actuation subsystem configured to rotate said floatation structure relative to an Earth-fixed base, and wherein said frame receives support from said floatation structure;
• and
• wherein said solar cogeneration module is a single-axis tracking solar cogeneration module with single axis tracking, and wherein linear axes of said linear concentrating reflective surface and of said linear concentrating photovoltaic receiver are configured to be substantially aligned parallel to solar azimuth angle by said heliostatic azimuth tracking subsystem,
• and wherein at least one of (i) a tilted solar panel and (ii) a linear concentrating photovoltaic receiver of a two-axis tracking solar cogeneration system with its elevation tracking axis substantially normal to solar azimuth angle, is located on said support structure at a height greater than and location in an opposite to sunward azimuthal direction relative to said single-axis tracking solar cogeneration module, thus configured to enable concurrent solar energy harvest by all panels and receivers while at least one of minimizing and precluding shadowing loss.

A hybrid renewable energy harvesting system comprising in combination:

• a support structure configured to be supported at least in part by a hydrostatic support force arising from water displacement in a water layer above an Earth layer;
• a heliostatic tracking system with a controllable actuation system for moving a frame to track apparent Sun motion above said Earth layer;
• a solar cogeneration system connected to said frame and receiving support from said support structure, wherein said solar cogeneration system includes a solar cogeneration module comprising:
• a linear concentrating reflective surface configured to face toward the Sun and receive sunlight directly from the Sun when said heliostatic tracking system is operating to track said apparent Sun motion, a linear concentrating photovoltaic receiver configured to at least partially face said linear concentrating reflective surface and therefrom receive reflected and concentrated sunlight from the Sun, and a heat transfer subsystem configured to receive heat energy from said linear concentrating photovoltaic receiver and to transfer at least a portion of said heat energy to usable heat energy in a flowing heat transfer fluid;
• and
• a photovoltaic panel connected to said frame and configured to receive sunlight directly from the Sun when said heliostatic tracking system is operating to track said apparent Sun motion, said photovoltaic panel configured with spacing from said linear concentrating reflective surface:
• (a) to enable said photovoltaic panel and said linear concentrating reflective surface to concurrently receive sunlight directly from the Sun when said heliostatic tracking system is operating to track said apparent Sun motion, and (b) to enable said photovoltaic panel to harvest a first portion of solar energy in sunlight falling thereon as electrical energy, and (c) to enable said solar cogeneration system to harvest both a second portion of solar energy in sunlight falling thereon as electrical energy and a third portion of solar energy in sunlight falling thereon as said usable heat energy wherein said usable heat energy is carried by said flowing heat transfer fluid at an elevated temperature above ambient temperature;
• wherein said support structure includes floatation structure configured to be supported by said hydrostatic support force from water displacement in said water layer, and wherein said heliostatic tracking system comprises a heliostatic azimuth tracking subsystem configured to provide azimuth heliostatic tracking with said controllable actuation system comprising an azimuth actuation subsystem configured to rotate said floatation structure relative to an Earth-fixed base, and wherein said frame receives support from said floatation structure;
• and
• wherein said solar cogeneration module is a solar cogeneration module with single axis tracking, and wherein linear axes of said linear concentrating reflective surface and of said linear concentrating photovoltaic receiver are configured to be substantially aligned parallel to solar azimuth angle by said heliostatic azimuth tracking subsystem, and wherein said linear photovoltaic receiver includes at least one of a fixed extension and a variable extension in an opposite to sunward azimuthal direction to enable reduced-loss energy harvest from said reflected and concentrated sunlight when solar elevation angle is less than 90 degrees.