Hybrid ganged heliostat
AssigneeSkysun, LLC
InventorJames Joseph CLAIR
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of utilizing solar radiation as a solar radiation source moves throughout the day includes providing a deformable surface having a pair of opposing edges and supporting the opposing edges of the deformable surface with a pair of flexible members. The method also includes imparting a curvature on the deformable surface to cause incident rays to be coincident with the normal axis of the deformable surface. The method further includes changing the curvature of the deformable surface as the solar radiation source moves throughout the day, such that the curvature corresponds to a location of the solar radiation source.
Claims20
A method of concentrating solar radiation from a moving solar radiation source onto a separately disposed receiver as the moving solar radiation source moves throughout the day, the method comprising:
- providing a deformable reflective surface having a pair of opposing edges;
- supporting the opposing edges of the deformable reflective surface with a pair of flexible members;
- imparting a curvature on the deformable reflective surface to reflect rays from the moving solar radiation source to a receiver, and to focus the reflected rays to reduce astigmatism caused by the incidence of solar radiation upon the deformable surface;
- and
- changing the curvature of the deformable reflective surface as the moving solar radiation source moves throughout the day, wherein the changing steps are taken from the group consisting of
- (a) orienting the opposing edges of the deformable reflective surface at differing rotational orientations, (b) individually tensioning the flexible members supporting the opposing edges of the deformable surface at different tensions and (c) orienting the opposing edges of the deformable reflective surface at differing rotational orientations and individually tensioning the flexible members supporting the opposing edges of the deformable surface at different tensions.
A method of utilizing solar radiation as a solar radiation source moves throughout the day, the method comprising:
- providing a deformable surface having a pair of opposing edges;
- supporting the opposing edges of the deformable surface with a pair of flexible members;
- imparting a curvature on the deformable surface to cause incident rays to be coincident with the normal axis of the deformable surface and
- changing the curvature of the deformable surface as the solar radiation source moves throughout the day, such that the curvature corresponds to a location of the solar radiation source, wherein the shaping steps are taken from the group consisting of
- (a) orienting the opposing edges of the deformable surface at differing rotational orientations, (b) individually tensioning the flexible members supporting the opposing edges of the deformable surface at different tensions, and (c) orienting the opposing edges of the deformable surface at differing rotational orientations and individually tensioning the flexible members supporting the opposing edges of the deformable surface at different tensions, these orientations and tensions changing throughout the day to correspond to the solar radiation source.
A system for utilizing solar radiation comprising:
- a deformable surface having a pair of opposing edges;
- a pair of flexible members supporting the opposing edges of the deformable surface, each flexible member having a first end and a second end;
- a first hub having a first tensioning mechanism connected to the first ends of the pair of flexible members, the first hub being rotatable about an axis substantially parallel to the pair of flexible members;
- a second hub having a second tensioning mechanism connected to the second ends of the pair of flexible members, the first hub being rotatable about an axis substantially parallel to the pair of flexible members,
- wherein the first and second hub are configured to change a curvature of the deformable surface by rotating about the axis substantially parallel to the pair of flexible members, and
- wherein the first and second tensioning mechanisms are configured to change a curvature of the deformable surface by adjusting a tension of at least one of the flexible members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.