# US 2019/0355853 A1 · User-Preference Driven Control of Electrical and Thermal Output from a Photonic Energy Device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0355853 A1 - Document ID: US20190355853A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/531,690 - Filed: 2019-08-05 - Published: 2019-11-21 - Earliest claimed: 2016-03-01 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Vikas Chandan; Shivkumar Kalyanaraman; Pratyush Kumar; Sukanya Randhawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190355853A1 ## CPC - H10F 77/955: {for photovoltaic devices} - F24S 10/50: the working fluids being conveyed between plates - F24S 23/77: with flat reflective plates - F24S 50/20: for tracking - F24S 50/40: responsive to temperature - H02S 40/22: Light-reflecting or light-concentrating means (directly associated with the PV cell or integrated with the PV cell H10F77/42) - H02S 40/44: Means to utilise heat energy, e.g. hybrid systems producing warm water and electricity at the same time (directly associated with the PV cell or integrated with the PV cell H10F77/67) - H10F 19/80: Encapsulations or containers for integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells - F24S 30/42: with only one rotation axis - Y02E 10/44: Heat exchange systems - Y02E 10/47: Mountings or tracking - Y02E 10/52: PV systems with concentrators - Y02E 10/60: Thermal-PV hybrids - H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION - F24S: SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS (for producing mechanical power from solar energy F03G6/00) - H02S: GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES (obtaining electrical energy from radioactive sources G21H1/12; light sensitive inorganic semiconductor devices H10F; light sensitive organic semiconductor devices H10K30/00; thermoelectric devices H10N10/00; pyroelectric devices H10N15/00) - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract Methods, systems, and computer program products for user-preference driven control of electrical and thermal output from a photonic energy device are provided herein. A system includes a solar photovoltaic module, and a fluid positioned on the solar photovoltaic module. The system also includes configurable reflective surfaces that collect and distribute direct solar and diffuse solar radiation across multiple portions of the fluid and/or portions of the solar photovoltaic module. Additionally, the reflective surfaces is physically connected to the solar photovoltaic module at an angle that is variable in relation to the surface of the solar photovoltaic module. Further, the system includes a controller that modulates an amount of thermal output and/or electrical power output generated by the solar photovoltaic module by transmitting a signal to adjust at least one variable pertaining to the fluid, and transmitting a signal to adjust at least one variable pertaining to the reflective surfaces. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: a solar photovoltaic module; a fluid positioned on the solar photovoltaic module, wherein at least one variable pertaining to the fluid is configurable based on one or more user preferences; a plurality of configurable reflective surfaces that (i) collect direct solar radiation and diffuse solar radiation and (ii) distribute the collected direct solar radiation and the collected diffuse solar radiation across (a) multiple portions of the fluid and/or (b) one or more portions of the solar photovoltaic module, wherein: each one of the plurality of configurable reflective surfaces is physically connected to the solar photovoltaic module at an angle that is variable in relation to the surface of the solar photovoltaic module; and at least one variable pertaining to each one of the plurality of configurable reflective surfaces is configurable based on the one or more user preferences; and a controller, wherein said controller comprises at least a memory and a processor coupled to the memory, and wherein the controller modulates an amount of thermal output and/or electrical power output generated by the solar photovoltaic module in response to an input of the one or more user preferences by: transmitting a signal to adjust the at least one variable pertaining to a fluid in response to the one or more user preferences; and transmitting a signal to adjust the at least one variable pertaining to one or more of the plurality of reflective surfaces in response to the one or more user preferences. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the fluid comprises water. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, comprising: a hydraulic mechanism coupled to the controller. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more user preferences comprise one or more of a total demand of thermal output and a total demand of electrical power output. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more user preferences comprise a relative proportion of (i) thermal output demand and (ii) electrical power output demand. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one variable pertaining to the fluid comprises the depth of the fluid positioned on the solar photovoltaic module. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one variable pertaining to the fluid comprises the velocity of the fluid with respect to the solar photovoltaic module. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one variable pertaining to each one of the plurality of configurable reflective surfaces comprises an adjustable reflectivity point of the plurality of configurable reflective surfaces. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one variable pertaining to each one of the plurality of configurable reflective surfaces comprises inclination of the plurality of configurable reflective surfaces with respect to the solar photovoltaic module. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the modulated amount of thermal output and/or electrical power output is a predetermined percentage of thermal output and/or electrical power output generated by the solar photovoltaic module. ### Claim 11 A system comprising: a solar photovoltaic module; at least one glass surface positioned over the solar photovoltaic module; a fluid positioned between (i) the glass surface and (ii) the solar photovoltaic module, wherein at least one variable pertaining to the fluid is configurable based on one or more user preferences; a plurality of configurable reflective surfaces that (i) collect direct solar radiation and diffuse solar radiation and (ii) distribute the collected direct solar radiation and the collected diffuse solar radiation across (a) multiple portions of the fluid and/or (b) one or more portions of the solar photovoltaic module, wherein: each one of the plurality of configurable reflective surfaces is physically connected to the solar photovoltaic module at an angle that is variable in relation to the surface of the solar photovoltaic module; and at least one variable pertaining to each one of the plurality of configurable reflective surfaces is configurable based on the one or more user preferences; and a controller, wherein said controller comprises at least a memory and a processor coupled to the memory, and wherein the controller modulates an amount of thermal output and/or electrical power output generated by the solar photovoltaic module in response to an input of the one or more user preferences by: transmitting a signal to adjust the at least one variable pertaining to a fluid in response to the one or more user preferences; and transmitting a signal to adjust the at least one variable pertaining to one or more of the plurality of reflective surfaces in response to the one or more user preferences. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the fluid comprises water. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, comprising: a hydraulic mechanism coupled to the controller. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more user preferences comprise one or more of a total demand of thermal output and a total demand of electrical power output. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more user preferences comprise a relative proportion of (i) thermal output demand and (ii) electrical power output demand. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one variable pertaining to the fluid comprises the depth of the fluid positioned on the solar photovoltaic module. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one variable pertaining to the fluid comprises the velocity of the fluid with respect to the solar photovoltaic module. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one variable pertaining to each one of the plurality of configurable reflective surfaces comprises an adjustable reflectivity point of the plurality of configurable reflective surfaces. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one variable pertaining to each one of the plurality of configurable reflective surfaces comprises inclination of the plurality of configurable reflective surfaces with respect to the solar photovoltaic module. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the modulated amount of thermal output and/or electrical power output is a predetermined percentage of thermal output and/or electrical power output generated by the solar photovoltaic module.