Solar energy collecting assembly

#The present invention is directed to improvements in the use of solar energy to generate heat. The present invention has particular applicability in the use of solar energy to produce heat which can be harnessed for a variety of uses. The heat for example can be in the form of heated water particularly water heated to a temperature higher than traditional solar hot water heaters have been able to achieve on a sustained basis.

#Many people are concerned about our dependence upon foreign energy sources. In addition there are environmental issues in using coal and other carbon based fuels. As a result there is a greater desire to use solar energy for more of our energy needs.

#One problem with solar energy has been the relatively high cost of solar cells that are used to generate electricity. The materials used in the solar cells, i.e. the silicon wafers and silver ribbons, are fairly expensive. Their cost of manufacture is also high.

#FIG. 1 shows an end view of one embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

#FIG. 3 shows a top view of an array of several devices of the present invention.

#As seen in FIG. 1 there is a base 10 which supports the solar energy collector assembly 11 of one embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment the solar energy collector rotates about an axis 12 which is preferably horizontal to the ground or other flat surface. As the device rotates one or more lenses 13 are perpendicular to the sun and placed in position to receive the direct rays of the sun. The rotation enables the device to compensate for movement of the sun across the sky as the earth rotates during the day. The multiplicity of lenses increases the incidence of light onto a tube 14 through which a fluid that is heated passes. While it is preferable that the device be positioned generally horizontal to the ground it can be at any angle to the ground including perpendicular. To compensate for the seasonal tilt of the sun the North end of the device can be raised and lowered so that the lenses are perpendicular to the sun and the rays will directly hit the lenses and the opposite in the southern hemisphere.

#The base 10 may be a flat plate that extends from one end of the solar power assembly to the other or it may be a plurality of individual bases that support each respective end of the assembly. Extending upwardly from the base 10 are one or more supports 15 and 16 that support the center axis of the assembly of the present invention and permit the assembly to rotate. The assembly of the present invention is generally a cylindrically shaped hollow tube having first end 17 and a second end 18 and one or more sidewalls 19 extending from one end to the opposite end. It will be appreciated that in addition to a circular cylindrical configuration the cylindrical tube may alternatively have several different polygonal shapes that may be used. These polygonal shapes will have one or more generally flat surfaces extend across the surface of the cylinder from generally near one end to the generally near the opposite end of the cylinder. Preferably the assembly has nine or more sides in the polygon-shaped assembly. The generally cylindrical assembly has an inner surface 20 and an outer surface 21.

#At each end of the cylindrical assembly there may be an end wall 22 to provide support for the device. The end wall may be a solid wall surface without any opening across the end of the cylindrical assembly or it may have a ring shaped as shown. Within the cylindrical member there is a center support member or rod or tube 14 which extends from one end of the cylinder to the opposite end of the cylinder. This tube has a couple of purposes. One it acts as a center support for the cylindrical assembly and permits the cylinder to be positioned on the supports 15 and 16 at each end of the device that extend upwardly from the base 10. The center support member 14 enables the cylinder to rotate about the center axis. The center support member is preferably a tubular member having one or more wall surfaces and which is hollow from one end to the other. The center rod is preferably made of metal, such as, for example, stainless steel and more preferably made of a metal that conducts heat. A fluid passes through the hollowed tube. This fluid is heated by the sunlight that passes through the lenses and is focused onto the tube.