Combined wind and solar power generating system
AssigneeSolar Wind Reliance Initiatives (SWRI) Ltd.
InventorRoss D. Armstrong
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An integrated wind and solar solution is provided, including a solar energy collection assembly (100) and a vertical axis wind turbine (400), combined to provide an integrated power output. In preferred embodiments, the vertical axis wind turbine is positioned above the solar energy collection assembly. Concentrating solar mirror collectors (116) are used to direct sunlight to a heat engine (250), which converts the collected heat energy into rotary motion. Rotary motion from the heat engine and from the vertical axis wind turbine preferably are on the same rotating axis (600), to facilitate load sharing between these two sources. A dual axis azimuth-altitude solar panel alignment tracking system is used in order to boost the energy conversion capability of the solar energy collectors.
Claims21
1-36. (canceled)
An electrical generating system comprising:
- at least one heat engine;
- a solar energy collection assembly, comprising an array of parabolic mirrors arranged to collect and transmit solar energy to each heat engine, to drive each heat engine;
- a vertical axis wind turbine mounted above the solar energy collection assembly, comprising a number of vertical windmill blades laterally displaced from and rotatable around a central axis;
- a common output driveshaft on the same axis as said central axis of said vertical axis wind turbine, connected to be driven by said vertical axis wind turbine and by each said heat engine;
- and
- electricity generation means connected to said common output driveshaft to produce electricity.
An electrical generating system comprising:
- a solar energy collection assembly;
- at least one heat engine driven by heat from solar energy collected by said solar energy collection assembly and transmitted to each said heat engine;
- a vertical axis wind turbine mounted above the solar energy collection assembly;
- a common output driveshaft on the same axis as said vertical axis wind turbine, connected to be driven by each said heat engine and by said vertical axis wind turbine;
- electricity generation means connected to said common output driveshaft to produce electricity;
- wherein the solar energy collection assembly comprises an array of parabolic mirrors arranged to deliver solar energy to the heat engine;
- and
- wherein the parabolic mirror array comprises at least one generally horizontal row, and wherein each row is rotatable about a generally horizontal axis in a frame, and wherein the frame is rotatable about a generally vertical axis, and wherein rotation about these axes is controlled and programmable so as to cause the parabolic mirrors to generally track the sun.
An electrical generating system comprising:
- an array of photovoltaic panels connected to produce electricity;
- and
- a vertical axis wind turbine mounted above the array of photovoltaic panels, connected to drive a generator to produce electricity;
- wherein the photovoltaic panel array comprises at least one generally horizontal row of photovoltaic panels, wherein each row is rotatable about a generally horizontal axis in a frame, and wherein the frame is rotatable about a generally vertical axis, and wherein rotation about these axes is controlled and programmable so as to cause the photovoltaic panels to generally track the sun.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.