| 摘要 |
An apparatus for generating electricity from incident solar radiation comprises an inflatable envelope, which may comprise a tube of transparent film 4, 14 having conical sections 2 at each end, a reflective surface inside the inflatable envelope, which may comprise a parabolic trough 12 and a photovoltaic cell 10 mounted outside the inflatable envelope. When the inflatable envelope is inflated, for example using a conical air scoop, the reflective surface has a shape configured to focus reflected solar radiation onto a focal area 15, and the photovoltaic cell 10 is positioned within the focal area. Because the reflective surface is located inside the inflated envelope, the drag coefficient is defined by the shape of the envelope rather than the shape of the reflective surface of the concentrator, allowing a design with smaller aerodynamic resistance. The inflatable envelope can be mounted so that it can rotate to track the sun, and in windy conditions it can rotate into a configuration which has lower aerodynamic resistance. The apparatus can be lightweight and strong. In an alternative arrangement a parabolic dish is made from an inflated film envelope comprising bonded film panels (fig. 6; 134, 136, 138, 140, 142) with a mirror film reflective surface (fig. 6; 134). |
