High concentrating photovoltaic system with pyramidal modules

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12142703-B1
Application number	US-202418787003-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jul 29, 2024
Priority date	Jun 8, 2022
Publication date	Nov 12, 2024
Grant date	Nov 12, 2024

Abstract

The HCPV system includes a plurality of modules connected to an array, a casing, a plurality of inverted pyramids, a plurality of solar cells, and a backplate. Each module includes an optical component that concentrates light onto a single solar cell and a single inverted pyramid with solid lateral faces connects the optical component at a peripheral edge of a base of the pyramid to the single solar cell at an apex of the inverted pyramid. The casing has a top frame and a bottom frame. The top frame surrounds each optical component on the peripheral edge of the pyramid, and the bottom frame surrounds each solar cell on the apex of the pyramid. The top frame and bottom frame are separated by a plurality of supports. The backplate is a plurality of interconnected circular pads.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A high-concentrating photovoltaic (HCPV) system, comprising:
a plurality of modules connected to form a module array;
a casing;
a plurality of inverted pyramids;
a plurality of solar cells; and
a backplate array comprising a plurality of interconnected circular pads interconnected by a grid structure; wherein:
each module comprises one inverted pyramid of the plurality of inverted pyramids, one solar cell of the plurality of solar cells, and an optical component that concentrates light onto the corresponding solar cell of the plurality of solar cells;
wherein each inverted pyramid has solid lateral faces and connects the optical component at a peripheral edge of a base of the pyramid to a corresponding solar cell of the plurality of solar cells at a plane formed at a truncation of the inverted pyramid at a height of 1-7% of the height of the inverted pyramid at an apex thereof; and
the casing has a top frame and a bottom frame; wherein:
the top frame surrounds a periphery of the module array;
the bottom frame surrounds a periphery of the backplate array; and
the top frame and bottom frame are connected by a plurality of supports;

wherein each solar cell is arranged in a center portion of a corresponding interconnected circular pad of the backplate array;
each optical component is a Fresnel lens that is configured to concentrate light onto a corresponding solar cell;
a ratio of a diameter of the interconnected circular pad of the backplate array to half a length of a corresponding Fresnel lens is 0.6 to 0.8;
the grid structure connects the plurality of circular pads to the bottom frame; and
each solar cell of the plurality of solar cells is adiabatically separated from one another.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein each solar cell of the plurality of solar cells is a triple-junction solar cell.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein each triple-junction solar cell has a length and a width of 5 mm to 10 mm.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein each triple-junction solar cell has a length and a width of 1 mm to 5 mm.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein each Fresnel lens has a length and a width of at least 200 mm.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the number of the plurality of solar cells is at least 25 and there are at least 5 solar cells in a row on the module array.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the number of the plurality of inverted pyramids is at least 25.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the number of the interconnected circular pads is at least 25.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the interconnected circular pad is 1 mm to 5 mm.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the interconnected circular pad is 5 mm to 10 mm.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein each Fresnel lens has a thermal coating layer.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein an emissivity of the thermal coating layer is 0.9 to 0.97.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein an emissivity of the thermal coating layer is 0.5 to 0.6.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the diameter of an interconnected circular pad of the backplate array is from 0.02 m to 0.06 m.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein a ratio of the diameter of the interconnected circular pad of the backplate array to half a length of a corresponding Fresnel lens is 0.6 to 0.7.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein a ratio of the diameter of the interconnected circular pad of the backplate array to half a length of a corresponding Fresnel lens is 0.7 to 0.8.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the interconnected circular pad of the backplate array has a thermal conductivity of 200 W/mK to 400 W/mK.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein each Fresnel Lens has an optical efficiency of 0.8 to 0.9.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the backplate array is in a shape of a square.

Assignees

• Univ Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal

Inventors

• Al-Amri Fahad Gallab

Classifications

• H10F77/488

  Reflecting light-concentrating means, e.g. parabolic mirrors or concentrators using total internal reflection · CPC title

• H10F77/63

  Arrangements for cooling directly associated or integrated with photovoltaic cells, e.g. heat sinks directly associated with the photovoltaic cells or integrated Peltier elements for active cooling · CPC title

• H10F19/904

  characterised by the shapes of the structures · CPC title

• H10F10/142

  comprising multiple PN homojunctions, e.g. tandem cells · CPC title

• H10F19/80

  Encapsulations or containers for integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells · CPC title