Method of making a modular off-axis solar concentrator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9660125-B2
Application number	US-201514606316-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2015
Priority date	Dec 7, 2009
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

A method of making a solar concentrator may include forming a receiving wall having an elongated wall, a first side wall and a second side wall; attaching the first side wall and the second side wall to a reflecting wall to form a housing having an internal volume with an opening; forming a lip on the receiving wall and the reflecting wall; attaching a cover to the receiving wall and the reflecting wall at the lip to seal the opening into the internal volume, thereby creating a rigid structure; and mounting at least one receiver having at least one photovoltaic cell on the elongated wall to receive solar radiation entering the housing and reflected by the receiving wall, the receiver having an axis parallel with a surface normal of the photovoltaic cell, such that the axis is disposed at a non-zero angle relative to the vertical axis of the opening.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a solar concentrator, the method comprising:
forming a receiving wall from a polymeric material with a reflective material incorporated therein for protection from exposure to concentrated sunlight, the receiving wall having an elongated wall, a first side wall extending from a first end of the elongated wall, and a second side wall extending from a second end of the elongated wall;
forming a reflecting wall from an optically clear material and having a parabolic contour;
attaching the receiving wall to the reflecting wall to form a housing having an internal volume with an opening into the internal volume, the opening having a vertical axis, such that the first side wall and the second side wall of the receiving wall are connected to the reflecting wall;
forming a lip on the receiving wall and the reflecting wall;
attaching a cover to the receiving wall and the reflecting wall at the lip to seal the opening into the internal volume, thereby creating a rigid structure; and
mounting at least one receiver having at least one photovoltaic cell on the elongated wall of the receiving wall to receive solar radiation entering the housing through the opening and reflected by the receiving wall, the receiver having an axis parallel with a surface normal of the photovoltaic cell, such that the axis is disposed at a non-zero angle relative to the vertical axis of the opening.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the receiving wall includes forming the receiving wall from a polymeric material selected from polyethylene, polycarbonate, acrylic, and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the reflecting wall includes forming the reflecting wall from a polymeric material selected from polyethylene, polycarbonate, acrylic, and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the receiving wall includes forming the receiving wall with the reflective material including titanium dioxide.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising mounting a light shield on an inside surface of the receiving wall.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming the cover from a material selected from a polymeric material and glass.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising securing the cover to the lip by a selected one of adhesives, tape, mechanical fasteners, and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 , forming the reflecting wall includes forming the reflecting wall to define at least one primary optical element having the parabolic contour.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein forming the reflecting wall to define at least one primary optical element includes forming the reflecting wall to define at least one primary optical element having the parabolic contour.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the reflecting wall includes forming the reflective wall by layering a reflective material on an internal surface thereof.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the reflecting wall includes forming the reflecting wall by layering a reflective material on an external surface thereof.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the reflecting wall includes coating a reflective material on an external surface thereof such that sunlight entering the internal volume passes through the reflecting wall and is reflected by the coating back through the reflecting wall into the internal volume to the receiver, and wherein the reflective material is a mirror coating.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein mounting at least one receiver includes providing the receiver with a lens focused on the photovoltaic cell.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein mounting the at least one receiver includes providing a heat sink thermally coupled with the photovoltaic cell.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein mounting the at least one receiver includes disposing the axis of the receiver at a non-zero angle of about 20 to about 80 degrees.

16. A method of making a solar concentrator, the method comprising:
forming a receiving wall from a polymeric material with a reflective material incorporated therein for protection from exposure to concentrated sunlight, the receiving wall having an elongated wall, a first side wall extending from a first end of the elongated wall, and a second side wall extending from a second end of the elongated wall;
forming a reflecting wall from an optically clear material, the reflecting wall having a parabolic contour and defining a plurality of primary optical elements;
forming a modular housing by attaching the first side wall and the second side wall of the receiving wall to the reflecting wall to define an elongated trough having an internal volume with an opening into the internal volume, the opening having a vertical axis;
forming an upper lip on the elongated housing surrounding the opening into the internal volume;
providing a cover attached to the receiving wall and the reflecting wall at the upper lip to seal the opening into the internal volume, thereby creating a rigid structure; and
mounting an array of receivers on the elongated wall to receive solar radiation entering the housing through the opening and reflected by the plurality of primary optical elements, each receiver of the array of receivers having an axis parallel with a surface normal of the receiver, such that the axis is disposed at a non-zero angle relative to the vertical axis of the opening.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein forming a reflecting wall includes positioning reflective material on one of an external surface of the reflecting wall or an internal surface of the reflecting wall.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein forming the receiving wall and forming the reflecting wall each includes forming from a polymeric material using a process selected from an injection molding process and a vacuum forming process.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein forming the receiving wall and forming the reflecting wall each includes forming from sheet metal using a process selected from a deep draw process and a stamping process plus a break form process.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Plesniak Adam P
• Hall John C

Classifications

• F24S23/82

  characterised by the material or the construction of the reflector · CPC title

• F24S23/74

  with trough-shaped or cylindro-parabolic reflective surfaces · CPC title

• F24S2023/874

  Reflectors formed by assemblies of adjacent similar reflective facets · CPC title

• F24S2080/015

  Plastics · CPC title

• F24S23/30

  with lenses · CPC title