Solar photovoltaic reflective trough collection structure

摘要

A photovoltaic (PV) solar concentration structure having at least two troughs encapsulated in a rectangular parallelepiped optical plastic structure, with the troughs filled with an optical plastic material, the troughs each having a reflective internal surface and approximately parabolic geometry, and the troughs each including photovoltaic cells situated so that light impinging on the optical plastic material will be concentrated onto the photovoltaic cells. Multiple structures can be connected to provide a solar photovoltaic collection system that provides portable, efficient, low-cost electrical power.

主权项

1. Photovoltaic solar concentration apparatus comprising two or more panels, wherein:
each panel comprises a base plate and a solar concentrator plate having a sunlight-receiving front face and a back face; each solar concentrator plate includes a plurality of photovoltaic cells; each base plate is juxtaposed to the back face of the corresponding solar concentrator plate and is electrically connected to the corresponding plurality of photovoltaic cells; each solar concentrator plate comprises a sheet of polymeric material having a front face coextensive with the front face of the solar concentrator face and a back face coextensive with the back face of the solar concentrator face, wherein a plurality of parallel troughs extend from the front face toward the back face, each trough has a pair of sidewalls and a bottom, at least one photovoltaic cell of said cell plurality is disposed at the bottom of each trough, the sidewalls are reflective toward at least some wavelengths of solar radiation, and the sidewalls of each trough are tapered so as to direct reflected solar radiation onto the photovoltaic cell or cells disposed at the trough bottom; and each solar concentrator plate further comprises a fill of polymeric material that encases the plurality of photovoltaic cells and fills the troughs up to the front face, such that the solar concentrator plate is a solid polymer body encasing a plurality of photovoltaic cells; the apparatus further comprises a support structure for the two or more panels that continuously adjusts a longitudinal tilt of the panels; and the support structure is stretchable and is mechanically coupled to the panels such that stretching the support structure causes all of the panels to tilt by substantially the same amount and simultaneously to be moved farther apart from each other.