Solar energy collection apparatus and design method
AssigneeIntex Holdings Pty Ltd
InventorRoger Philip DAVIES
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a solar energy collection apparatus and design method. In particular, the invention provides a solar energy collection apparatus incorporating one or more reflectors and a solar collector for receiving incoming solar radiation, including reflected radiation from the one or more reflectors, wherein the one or more reflectors and the collector are oriented according to a pre-calculated offset length and offset angle based at least on the latitude of the apparatus. The invention further provides a computer-implemented method of designing a solar collection apparatus including determining the optimal offset length and offset angle between the one or more reflectors and the collector for a given latitude and other inputs.
Claims19
A solar energy collection apparatus to increase a quantum of solar radiation incident on a collector of solar energy, said apparatus characterised by:
- one or more reflecting surfaces in a location proximate to and at a distance from the collector, and at an angle or angles other than at a right angle to the collector, the reflecting surfaces each having a reflective surface area;
- wherein the one or more reflectors have an entire surface area to collector surface area ratio of at least 25%;
- and
- wherein the location, displacement, and angle or angles of the one or more reflecting surfaces relative to the collector are such that an increase in the quantum of solar energy incident on the collector is achieved for a majority of sunlight hours during most days of the annual cycle.
A method of configuring a solar energy collection apparatus, the method characterised by the steps of:
- providing one or more reflecting surfaces at a location proximate to and at a distance from a collector of solar energy;
- sizing the one or more reflecting surfaces and the collector such that the ratio between the entire reflective surface area of the one or more reflecting surfaces and the collector surface area is at least 25%;
- and
- orienting the one or more reflecting surfaces such that each reflecting surface is oriented at angle or angles other than at a right angle to the collector;
- wherein said location, displacement, and angle or angles of the one or more reflecting surfaces are chosen to cause an increase in the quantum of solar energy incident on the collector for a majority of sunlight hours during most days of the annual cycle.
A method of designing a solar energy collection apparatus, said method including:
- receiving data relating to a latitude, installed angle, orientation and dimension of a collector of solar energy;
- receiving data relating to a dimension of or displacement of each of one or more reflecting surfaces proximate to and at a distance from the collector;
- determining, based on the received data, at least a displacement from or an angle formed between a plane of the solar collector and a plane of each of the one or more reflectors to achieve a specific increase up to a maximum theoretical increase in the quantum of solar energy incident on the collector compared with a quantum of solar energy incident on the collector alone.
A method of determining a quantum of solar radiation incident on a collector of solar energy, the collector receiving direct solar radiation from the sun and indirect radiation from one or more reflecting surfaces proximate to and at a distance from the collector, the method including:
- receiving data relating to characteristics of a collector of solar energy including a latitude, installed angle, orientation and dimension thereof;
- receiving data relating to characteristics of one or more reflecting surfaces proximate to and at a distance from the collector including a dimension of or displacement of each of the one or more reflecting surfaces;
- determining, based on the received data, a quantum of solar energy incident on the collector.
A method of determining a quantum of solar radiation incident on a collector, the method characterised by steps including:
- determining a position of the sun in the sky at a given latitude at a given moment or period of daylight through the year;
- determining an area of one or more reflecting surfaces that are positioned to reflect solar radiation to a surface of the collector at said moment or during said period assuming none of the reflecting surface is in shadow;
- determining an area of the one or more reflecting surfaces that is in shadow and which hence cannot reflect solar radiation to a surface of the collector at said moment or during said period;
- determining an area of the collector that receives direct solar radiation from the sun;
- determining the quantum of solar radiation incident on the collector by adding the area of the one or more reflecting surfaces that are positioned to reflect solar radiation to the collector surface to the area of the collector receiving direct solar radiation, and
- subtracting the area of the one or more reflecting surfaces in shadow.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.