US 6,294,723 B1Granted

Photovoltaic device, photovoltaic module and establishing method of photovoltaic system

AssigneeHitachi, Ltd.

InventorsTsuyoshi Uematsu, Terunori Warabisako, Yoshiaki Yazawa, Yoshinori Miyamura, Ken Tsutsui, Shin-ichi Muramatsu, Hiroyuki Ohtsuka, Junko Minemura

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Abstract

Disclosed is a photovoltaic module including a plurality of concentrators each having a light-incident plane and a reflection plane, and photo detectors. Each photo detector is in contact with one of the concentrators. The module is capable of effectively trapping light and effectively generating power throughout the year even if the module is established such that sunlight at the equinoxes is made incident on the light-incident planes not in a perpendicular manner but instead obliquely, for example, in the case where the module is established in contact with a curved plane of a roof, or the like. In this module, each concentrator is formed into such a shape as to satisfy a relationship in which the light trapping efficiency of first incident light tilted rightwardly from the normal line of the light-incident plane in the cross-section including the light-incident plane, reflection plane and photo detector is larger than the light trapping efficiency of second incident light tilted leftwardly from the normal line in the above cross-section. Also, these concentrators are arranged in one direction.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A photovoltaic module comprising:

a plurality of concentrators each having a light-incident plane and a reflection plane and being connected such that said light-incident planes are continuous;
and
photo detectors arranged such that at least part of the surface of each of said photo detectors is in contact with one of said concentrators and having a structure which can trap light in the photo detectors of adjacent concentrators after reflecting the incident light from one of said concentrators;
wherein the refractive index of said concentrator is larger than that of the environment outside said light-incident plane of said concentrator;
said concentrator has such a shape as to make the light trapping efficiency of first incident light different from the light trapping efficiency of second incident light, said first incident light and said second incident light being respectively tilted rightwardly and leftwardly from the normal line of said light-incident plane in a vertical cross-section including said light-incident plane, said reflection plane, and said photo detector;
and
said plurality of concentrators are arranged such that a large-and-small relationship, in said plurality of concentrators, between the light trapping efficiency of said first incident light and the trapping efficiency of said second incident light corresponds to a large-and-small relationship, in one concentrator, between the light trapping efficiency of said first incident light and the light trapping efficiency of said second incident light.

4 more elements

A photovoltaic module comprising:

a plurality of concentrators each having a light-incident plane and a reflection plane and being connected such that said light-incident planes are continuous;
and
photo detectors arranged such that at least part of the surface of each of said photo detectors is in contact with one of said concentrators and having a structure which can trap a light in the photo detectors of adjacent concentrators after reflecting the incident light from one of said concentrators;
wherein the refractive index of said concentrator is larger than that of the environment outside said light-incident plane of said concentrator;
an angle formed between said light-incident plane and a linear portion of said reflection plane, in a vertical cross-section including said light-incident plane, said reflection plane and said photo detector, is less than 45°;
said photo detector is located opposite to a portion, crossing said linear portion of said reflection plane at said angle, of said light-incident plane in said vertical cross-section;
and
the connection of said plurality of concentrator are arranged such that said portions, each crossing said linear portion of said reflection plane at said angle, of said light-incident planes and said photo detectors are alternately arranged.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/256,454Filed 23 Feb 1999
Priority: JP 10-04485026 Feb 1998
Published: US 2001/0008144 A119 Jul 2001
Granted: 25 Sep 2001
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

G02B 19/0042
For use with ambient light: for use with direct solar radiation
F24S 23/00
Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors
G02B 19/0028
Characterised by the optical means employed: refractive and reflective surfaces, e.g. non-imaging catadioptric systems
H10F 77/488
Directly associated or integrated with photovoltaic cells, e.g. light-reflecting means or light-concentrating means: reflecting…

Family

US 2001/0008144 A1Published application
US 6,294,723 B1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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