Rotational Trough Reflector Array with Solid Optical Element for Solar-Electricity Generation

摘要

A rotational trough reflector (101) solar-electricity generation device includes a trough reflector that rotates around a substantially vertical axis and includes a solid optical element (110) having a linear parabolic convex surface (115) that serves as a base for automatically positioning a mirror (130) to focus sunlight onto a focal line, and a flat aperture surface (112) that serves to support a strip-type photovoltaic (PV) receiver (120) on the focal line. A tracking system (140) rotates the trough reflector (101) such that the trough reflector is aligned generally parallel to the incident sunlight (e.g., in a generally east-west direction at sunrise, turning to generally north-south at noon, and turning generally west-east at sunset). A disc-shaped support structure is used to distribute the reflector's weight over a larger area and to minimize the tracking system motor size. Multiple trough reflectors are mounted on the disc-shaped support to maximize power generation.